Things That Go Bump in the Basement
by mamatots
Summary: AU. Santana follows Brittany down into the basement of her grandmother's old house. What all will happen once they accidentally get locked down there?
1. Princess Penelope strikes!

**Why I am writing this story**: I made a small joke in the AN of Chapter 11 for _Keep Me Where the Light Is _about not being able to lock Santana and Brittany in a basement and base an entire multi-chapter fic on their interactions alone.

Some of you guys seem to think, whether in jest or not, that is an excellent basis for a story. Okay, LOL. Challenge Accepted.

Since I will be writing this as a side project to KMWTLI and only if there is enough reader interest to keep it going, please make sure to comment if you want to encourage me to continue writing this story.

Quick Disclaimer: I borrowed these characters from the Fox show Glee. I obviously do not own them nor any songs/lyrics I may end up referencing in this story. The rest of this story is mine from my creative brain alone, so please do not use any part of it without my written permission.

**It is AU**, and I've marked this for a mature audience since it has strong language and might end up containing gratuitous sex. Thanks! Kim

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**Things That Go Bump in the Basement (part 1)**

by mamatots

**Friday, November 20, 2009**

**4:14 PM**

"Watch your step…the stairs wobble a bit," Brittany cautioned, flipping on the light switch and moving a small doorstop to prop open the basement door, "Don't let this close."

"Britt, it's freezing down here," Santana Lopez complained as she followed her best friend down a rickety, wooden staircase.

The brunette stuffed her hands inside the pockets of her William McKinley High School letter jacket, thankful for the warmth of the wool material as a late-Autumn chill passed through her slender body.

"You could always wait upstairs," Brittany reminded the Latina, ducking her head as she lowered her tall form under the wooden beam that held up the structure of the floor above them.

"No way! It's creepy up there in the dark with that cat lurking around," Santana grimaced, stepping off the last step in the dank basement.

"Princess Penelope wouldn't hurt a fly, Santana," the blonde defended the old, rust-colored tabby.

"Well, that's good for your grandmother's flies, but that furbag is clearly racist," the Latina lamented, "You saw what she did to my leg the last time I came with you to feed her."

Brittany shook her head at her best friend's dramatics, remembering only a small scratch on Santana's calf, saying with a smile, "That's her way of letting you know she likes you."

"I'd prefer for her to like me a little less then," Santana retorted, moving behind Brittany as she pulled a heavy blanket off some boxes that were stacked in the corner of the room.

Brittany's mother had sent her around the corner to her grandmother's house to find the extra-large roasting pan they sometimes used for holiday cooking, and since Santana was spending the night at the Pierce house as she regularly did on the weekends, Brittany made the Latina walk with her on the errand.

Mrs. Pierce was expecting additional guests for this year's Thanksgiving with her sister's family coming into town, driving back their mother who had been up in Minnesota visiting for the past two months.

The fifteen-year-old always hated when her parents forced her and her little sister to make the long drive between Lima, Ohio and the suburbs of Minneapolis, but Brittany shivered at the thought of making that drive with parents, four siblings, and her elderly grandmother all stuffed into a mini van.

Her grandmother was quite a bold personality to say the least, but she had only worsened in attitude since the death of Brittany's grandfather last year. None of the family realized how much the sweet old man kept his wife in check until he was gone.

Brittany snickered to herself when she remembered her mom commenting over the phone the night before to Brittany's aunt that two months in the same house with their mother was two months too long.

The girls had just arrived home from school on the Friday that started their week long Thanksgiving vacation when Mrs. Pierce sent them on this mission for her, saving her a trip while her pies baked in the oven. The girls did not mind going, because it was the first Friday they did not have to cheer at a varsity football game since the start of their sophomore year in September.

The best friends enjoyed their fifteen minute walk together around the block, gossiping about the loser geeks in the new Glee Club they'd recently joined as spies for their Cheerios coach, Sue Sylvester.

Brittany then led them inside through the dark carport like she entered each time she went over to water the house plants and feed her grandmother's cat. It was always funny to Brittany when Santana went with her, because it never failed that the typically-fierce and rebellious Latina cowered behind her, looking to avoid contact with the temperamental feline.

Once inside, Brittany looked under the large cabinet where Mrs. Pierce thought she remembered her mother keeping the giant pan. When it wasn't there or in the pantry closet, Brittany thought it might be in a storage box in her grandmother's basement.

The young teen had not been down in the basement for several months, and it suddenly seemed dustier and darker now than she remembered it being.

Brittany scanned the labels on the front row of boxes, seeing Christmas Ornaments, Books, Knitting Supplies.

"Help me move these," the blonde requested, looking over her shoulder at Santana who stood behind the taller girl, picking the bright red nail polish off of her index finger.

Santana sighed heavily. She had not signed up for any manual labor when she went with her friend on this quest.

"Santana?" Brittany prodded with slight exasperation.

"Oh okay," the brunette rolled her eyes and grabbed the box labeled Old Photo Albums off the top of the Knitting Supplies, turning to the side to set it down, "Damn, this is heavy."

Brittany couldn't lift the bottom box that had the books so she squeezed in behind it to lean over toward the back row of boxes.

"I don't think it's down here, Britt," Santana stated, "Why would your grandmother have kitchen pans boxed up?"

Brittany was now wondering the same thing, her voice echoing as she was bent over, "I don't know…she hasn't done much cooking the last few years."

She tried to remember the last time their family gathered over at her grandparents for a large meal, suddenly missing those special times they used to share, explaining her reasoning to Santana, "I thought maybe she put some of the larger pans down here. She only ever cooks for herself these days."

"Well, I don't see any kitchen boxes, do you?" Santana sat down on the corner of a cardboard box, pulling out her cell phone to check her email, hoping to hear about any potential weekend parties from her on again, off again boyfriend, Noah Puckerman. "Great…no service down here," she announced, now officially bored with this task, "Can we go now?"

"Hold on, let me check one more place," Brittany slid out from between the boxes and walked over to the far side near the washer and dryer where there was a floor to ceiling, wooden shelving unit fastened to the wall.

"Fine," the Latina huffed, crossing her legs and putting her cell phone back in the pocket of her red track pants, thinking she was glad she took a moment to pull them on under her cheerleading skirt.

Brittany looked up to the top of the shelf and was pleased to see several metal pans, exclaiming triumphantly, "There it is!"

"Cool," Santana said unenthusiastically, "Get it and let's get out of this dungeon."

Brittany stood on her tiptoes and stretched her long arm as far as she could reach, trying to ease the large pan off the shelf. The roaster was just heavy enough that she couldn't budge it with her fingertips. Hoping to grab the handle that stuck out, the blonde stepped up on the next level of the unit, straining but finally clutching it.

"Got it," Brittany said as she tugged on it, trying her best to balance with her left arm while pulling back with her right. When she realized the bulk of the pan was causing her to become top heavy, she called to Santana, "A little help here please?"

The brunette stood up to assist, but just as she got to where Brittany was, the old wood of the shelf broke under the teen's weight, causing Brittany to fall straight down to the concrete floor.

Brittany cried out as her right ankle buckled upon impact, forcing her to fall back and land hard on her butt.

"Brittany!" Santana screamed as her best friend fell and dropped the large metal pan loudly at the Latina's feet.

"Owwww," the blonde instantly grasped her ankle.

Santana kneeled beside her, "Are you okay?"

The co-Cheerio had injured herself many times when landing jumps, so she knew right away that something was most certainly wrong. She tried twisting her foot, feeling a jolt of pain shoot all the way up her long leg. "I think I sprained it."

"I hope it's not broken," Santana worried, knowing how hard the fall appeared.

"I can move it, but it hurts bad," Brittany grimaced.

"Do you think you can stand?" the brunette asked sweetly, rubbing gently at Brittany's knee.

"Help me," she requested, putting her arm around Santana's shoulders and pushing herself up with her other foot.

Santana put her arm around her best friend's waist, trying to lift on the larger girl.

"Owww….no…stop," Brittany had very little strength in her left leg either, feeling pain in her tailbone from where she hit the concrete.

"Okay," Santana lowered her back to the ground, "Let me call your house. Your dad's going to have to carry you up the stairs."

"He won't be home yet," Brittany advised.

"Let's see what your mom says," the Latina pulled out her phone, not remembering it had no signal until she flipped it open, "Crap, it's dead. Check yours."

Brittany pulled her phone from the back pocket of the jeans she changed into after getting home from school. Her evening got even worse when she saw the crack that ran down the front of it, holding it up to Santana, "It's broken."

Santana let out a slow, aggravated breath, realizing she was going to have to make her way through Princess Penelope's lair to reach the kitchen phone, "Wait here then."

Brittany nodded, "Thanks."

"Don't thank me," the brunette warned over her shoulder, "Just pray I make it back alive."

Santana heard Brittany giggle behind her as she climbed up the aged stairs. When she reached the top landing, she was unexpectedly thrown off balance by something large and furry that ran quickly between the Latina's legs, meowing.

"Shit," she cursed in between a loud scream as the basement door slammed shut.

"What happened?" Brittany called up to Santana.

"That fucking cat attacked me again," the brunette paused a second to let her heart beat return to normal before she reached out to turn the knob of the door, but it was locked.

"What the hell?" Santana mumbled under her breath as she shook it and pushed hard on the heavy door.

Hearing the loud clanking of the door handle, Brittany asked to Santana, "What's the problem?"

"The door is stuck," she hollered back, pulling again on the old, black metal knob.

"How can it be stuck?" Brittany questioned, "I left it propped opened."

"I don't know, Britt. It won't open though."

"Wait, it closed all the way?" Brittany had a slight panic in her voice.

Santana shook her head and let out a slow breath, reminding herself to remain composed with Brittany. The fiery Latina was usually the first to lose her temper with her friends. She always had a snarky comment ready for Quinn Fabray, their Cheerio head captain, or Rachel Berry, the annoying diva who thought she ruled Glee Club. With Brittany though, the brunette's closest friend since grade school, Santana always found an extra measure of patience.

"Yes, Britt…when the damn cat ran out," Santana explained, "I turned the knob, but it's locked or something."

"Yeah, I told you it locks automatically from the outside," Brittany said with alarm, pulling herself over more toward the stairs to look up at the top landing, "That's why I told you to leave it open."

"You did?" Santana asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, the key's in the lock on the outer part."

Santana thought back, realizing she either did not hear Brittany's earlier warning or she was thinking of something else at that moment. She banged loudly on the door, kicking it for extra emphasis while yelling, "Help! Can anyone hear me?"

"Santana!" Brittany hollered.

"We're locked down here," the brunette screamed to anyone who might be listening.

"That's not funny, Santana," Brittany said, thinking she'd been victim to one of her best friend's many pranks, "Please just open the door."

"I'm not kidding, Britt…it's really locked."

"How are we going to get out of here?" Brittany had extreme concern in her voice, her ankle throbbing now.

Santana shrugged and blew out a deep breath as she stepped back down the stairs.

"Well, we need to figure something out," Brittany prompted.

"Hey, I'm not the idiot who set up the basement to lock from the outside," Santana grumbled.

Brittany's brow furrowed at the harshness in Santana's statement, "It's to protect the upstairs against break-ins."

"How is anyone going to break into the basement, Britt?" Santana surmised, "There's no door down here."

"There's a window," the blonde pointed out as though it was obvious.

Santana looked around at the fading sunlight coming in through the small rectangle of glass at the very top of the side wall. "The window, of course," she recognized their possibility of escape.

The brunette pushed hard on one of the heavier cardboard boxes, sliding it slowly under the window, then carried another one over and stacked it on top. She climbed up on top of the stack, feeling it bend slightly under her weight.

"Please be careful, San," Brittany warned, seeing the flimsy cardboard jiggle underneath her best friend, "All I need is for you to fall too."

"Chill out," Santana dismissed, reaching up to the hinge of the narrow window, pushing as hard as she could on the old, rusty locks. Finally giving up, she yelled out in frustration, "For Christ's sake!"

"What?" Brittany asked from her position on the floor.

Santana jumped down off of the boxes, "It's fucking nailed shut!"

Brittany leaned her head back and closed her blue eyes.

"Your grandparents must be the most paranoid people in Lima," Santana criticized.

"They're old," Brittany defended, amending her statement when she remembered her grandfather's passing, "_Was_ old anyway."

Santana sighed and sat on the ground next to Brittany, "I'm sorry, Britt."

A silence fell over the friends as they looked around the basement then back at each other.

"What do we do now?" Brittany asked.

"Wait until your parents get worried enough to come looking for us, I guess."

The blonde frowned, rubbing at her ankle.

"How's your foot?" Santana moved a little closer, pulling Brittany's right leg into her lap and taking off her sneaker and sock.

"It really hurts," Brittany grimaced.

The Latina massaged it, feeling that it was swelling. "You should keep your shoe off," she suggested, putting Brittany's sock back on her foot and telling her, "Your feet are cold."

Brittany zipped up her thin, black hoodie and shivered, "It is really cold down here."

Santana set Brittany's leg gently back to the floor and took off her wool letter jacket, using it to cover her best friend, "Here, this will keep you warmer."

"Now you'll get cold," Brittany frowned.

Santana moved behind Brittany and pulled her back against her body, wrapping her arms around Brittany's chest and adjusting the coat over both their arms and upper torsos. "There," Santana said, kissing the blonde sweetly on top of her head, "Now we can keep each other warm."

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**Author's Note**: Well…? Yes? No? Keep going or trash this attempt? I'm only doing this for you guys who want all Brittana, all the time. I even have them cuddling together. Do you want to see if they end up doing more than cuddling? LOL

Leave me a review and tell me what you think or want me to do.


	2. Zombies and Beanbag Chairs

**Author's Note: **You guys rock! I never thought this would catch on like it has, so we'll keep going and see how far we can take this before fanfiction net deletes it for inappropriate content. Buckle up…it could be a bumpy but intriguing ride!

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**Things That Go Bump in the Basement (part 2)**

Brittany Pierce sat in her grandparents' shadowy basement, leaned back against the outer wall with her right leg propped up on an old suitcase in order to counteract some of the swelling in her ankle. She turned the page of the family photo album in her lap and ran her finger delicately over the face of her grandfather who smiled back at her from an old war picture.

Seeing him in his Navy uniform made her proud, mainly because being in the U.S. Navy always made him so proud. Brittany's grandfather would tell her stories of fighting in the Vietnam War, helping his fellow soldiers escape at the end of the occupation, and she would sit at his feet and listen. Those were some of the most colorful stories she heard growing up, and those times with the older man was when she felt closest to him.

Sighing heavily as her emotions rose to the surface, starting to miss him terribly as the holidays approached, Brittany distracted herself by looking up above her at her best friend who sat on top of two stacked cardboard boxes under the only window in the basement.

"Any luck?" she asked Santana.

The Latina held her cell phone in the air, tilting it at different angles next to the window pane which was set high up on the tall cement wall.

"No…nothing," she huffed with exasperation as she climbed back down to sit on the floor beside Brittany.

"Just relax, will you?" the blonde suggested, patting Santana's thigh, "Think of this as an adventure. It's like we're being held captive in the hull of a Pirate's ship…or even better…we can pretend we're in an underground shelter hiding from flesh-eating zombies."

"I'm getting claustrophobic down here," Santana grimaced, lamenting, "I think I'd rather be eaten by a zombie."

"Oh come on, San! It's only been forty minutes," Brittany snickered at Santana, "Where's your imagination and sense of humor?"

"This is not funny to me, Britt," the brunette confirmed with a pout, "You're hurt, and I want out of here."

"Well, I hope I'm never in an actual disaster with you."

"Hey, I'd make an excellent disaster partner, I'll have you know," the Latina crossed her arms over her ample chest, feigning aggravation at Brittany, reminding her, "I gave you my coat, didn't I? That's loyalty, Britt."

Brittany giggled more at her dearest friend. She always enjoyed watching Santana try to act angry with her, knowing all it took was one goofy comment or funny face from the blonde and Santana would start laughing.

"What?" Santana stopped complaining long enough to look to her left at Brittany.

"What what?" Brittany turned the brunette's question back on her.

"You're looking at me weird," Santana said, narrowing her eyes with slight confusion.

Brittany shrugged and smiled, "You're just so cute when you're mad."

"I'm not mad," Santana rolled her brown eyes, raising her voice for emphasis, "I'M JUST BORED OUT OF MY MIND!"

"I'm not," Brittany shrugged with a smile.

Santana shook her head, "This must be how people in prison feel."

"You're too connected to your phone and internet," Brittany observed, "Look around, Santana…there's tons of stuff down here to occupy us for a couple of hours."

"Fine," Santana sighed, internally appreciating the blonde's innocent take on the world around her. She leaned over onto Brittany's prominent shoulder, asking, "What are you looking at?"

"This photo album," Brittany answered, turning the page of the one in her lap, "That's my grandparents with my mom and aunt when they were little."

"Your mom looks like your sister in that picture," Santana observed, pointing to an old, faded photo where there was a young girl the same age as Brittany's younger sister who stood next to an older girl in front of their parents.

Brittany turned a few more pages then closed it, reaching into the opened box next to her to pull out another photo album, "Oh look, this one has some of my baby pictures in it."

Santana smiled as she looked at the pages with Brittany. "Okay, you were _the_ cutest damn baby there ever was," Santana declared with a laugh, pointing to one of the pictures that had a crawling Brittany with a giant, toothless grin.

"Ha! I forgot my mom used to put my hair up in a ponytail on top of my head like that," the blonde shared in the laughter.

"You look like a Yorkie dog," Santana cackled.

"Yeah, I sort of do, huh?" Brittany conceded with another giggle.

Santana leaned further into Brittany's lap, turning the page of the book, finding another picture of a four-year-old Brittany with an orange kitten, asking her, "Is that…?"

"Yep…," Brittany laughed, "That's Princess Penelope. I found her in my grandmother's garden that summer." Brittany turned the page of the picture book, "She was so tiny and alone, and we brought her in and fed her. My grandmother let me name her, so I've always felt like she's really mine."

"Hmm," Santana huffed, "You should have left her out there to rot."

"Santana, be nice…she's actually very sweet," Brittany scolded, adding, "To most people anyway."

"Thanks for proving my point," Santana hissed, turning another page and finding a picture of a five-year-old Brittany with a huge smile as she posed in a light blue ballerina costume. "Look at you…so precious, and you were always so happy," Santana beamed, turning another then another of the pages, seeing lots of pictures of Brittany in dance costumes, "You've literally been dancing your whole life, huh?"

The blonde smiled. "Yeah, I don't remember a time when I wasn't dancing," Brittany confessed, "My parents said I would twirl and leap around the house as soon as I could walk."

Santana paused and gazed up into Brittany's face with a look that could only be described as pride. "You were truly born to dance, Britt," the brunette confirmed.

"Thanks," Brittany smiled back at the Latina.

"I love watching you dance," Santana told her best friend, "I always have."

"That's really sweet, Santana," Brittany blushed at how sentimental Santana's voice sounded.

"When you dance…it's like watching a butterfly flit from flower to flower in the garden," she expanded, nearly losing herself in the bright blue of Brittany's eyes, "Like you're flying through the air…barely touching down."

"I'm happiest when I'm dancing," Brittany replied then paused before amending her assertion, "Well…second happiest."

Santana chuckled, sitting back up, "What makes you happiest then?"

"Spending time with you," the blonde confessed with a childlike grin.

Something about the genuineness in Brittany's statement struck Santana's heart deeply, and she felt an immediate flutter in her chest. She swallowed hard and licked at her bottom lip before replying softly, "I feel the same way, Britt."

Just as an awkwardness was about to settle over the best friends, Brittany adjusted her elevated foot, circulating fresh pain all the way up her right leg and causing her to cry out, "Owwwww."

"You're in a lot of pain, huh?" Santana observed with a worried tone.

Brittany grimaced and let out a slow breath of air, resetting her foot up on the green suitcase, "Only when I move it."

Santana pulled up on her knees and looked around the basement, seeing a tattered towel hanging near the washing machine. She stood and walked over to grab it, coming back and kneeling again near Brittany's foot. "Here, this will pad it some," the brunette said sweetly, folding it and sliding the towel between Brittany's ankle and the hard surface of the suitcase.

"Thank you, Santana," Brittany smiled, running her gaze across the Latina's face, marveling at how truly beautiful she was.

Brittany had always thought so, ever since the blonde met Santana Lopez in second grade. She smiled as she thought back to the nervous eight-year-old who was introduced to Brittany's class in the middle of that school year, standing at the front of the classroom in a red velvet dress and black patent Mary Jane shoes with little white socks that had delicate lace around the ankles.

The blonde teen wasn't sure how…or why…she remembered those details about the first time she ever saw Santana. Somehow she did though, and she also remembered thinking, even way back then, how beautiful the new girl in her class was with her long, dark hair and her giant, brown eyes.

"Britt?"

Brittany jolted back from her memory at the sound of Santana's voice. "Hmm?"

"Where'd you go?" Santana inquired softly, having seen that distant look into Brittany's eyes many times before.

She shook her head, her blonde ponytail moving back and forth as she did, "Nowhere."

Changing the subject, Santana sat all the way to the floor and crisscrossed her legs, inquiring, "When is your aunt and uncle supposed to get here?"

"Sometime tomorrow, I think," Brittany answered, relieved with the new topic.

"My mom said we're leaving Wednesday morning to drive to Cincinnati," Santana updated her friend on their holiday travels.

"So you have to spend the night at your uncle's house?" Brittany frowned, knowing how much the Latina hated being around her younger cousins when they visited her dad's brother and his family.

"Yes," Santana responded, "I'd almost rather take my chances around Princess Predator than those twin boys."

Brittany laughed loudly.

"It's true!" Santana shared in the laughter, "At least she's never tied me up or gotten lollipops stuck in my hair."

"I totally remember that," Brittany snorted, "Your hair _was_ pretty short for several months."

"Thank god it grows fast," Santana touched her long, dark hair that was pulled into a tight ponytail as it typically was when she wore her Cheerios uniform.

"Yeah, yours grows way faster than mine," Brittany admired, leaning forward and pulling the ponytail holder out of Santana's hair, "It's always been so thick and beautiful, especially when it's down."

Santana felt a tingle through her neck and down her spine as Brittany ran her long fingers through the strands of the brunette's hair, causing her to shiver.

"Are you getting colder?" Brittany asked, noticing the subtle nuance of Santana's body.

Trying to cover, Santana replied, "Yeah…I think the temperature is dropping." She stood up quickly and climbed back up on the stack of boxes to look out the narrow window, seeing that the sunlight was beginning its evening fade.

"Here, San…take your coat back," Brittany pulled her arm out of one sleeve.

"No, keep it!" Santana reacted strongly, before Brittany could remove the other sleeve. She jumped down again off the boxes and looked around the basement, rubbing her hands over the sleeves of the white turtleneck that she wore under her uniform top on cold days.

Seeing the old blanket that was originally covering the stacked boxes, Santana picked it up and shook it out as best she could, trying to rid it of any dust…or whatever else could be found on old blankets in damp cellars.

"Hey, there's my beanbag chair!" Brittany noticed in the back corner once Santana moved the blanket.

The Latina set down the blanket near Brittany and pulled out the round, turquoise chair which had BRITTANY sewn in bright pink letters across the front of it. She maneuvered the giant ball-like object over to the side wall then flopped it down, waiving away some of the dust particles and saying, "This definitely looks more comfortable than the concrete."

"I used to love this thing! I wondered what my grandmother did with it," Brittany remembered excitedly, "Help me up."

Santana lifted on her best friend enough that she could scoot the rest of the way over onto the chair, laughing when Brittany sunk down into it. "That's cool. I always wanted one of those."

Brittany put her ankle back up on the suitcase, instantly feeling more comfortable, "Aaahhh…now that's better."

Santana started to cover her with the blanket, sitting back on the floor.

"Wait…you don't have to sit on the hard floor. There's plenty of room for you too," Brittany insisted, moving over a bit and patting the space next to her.

The brunette hesitated before realizing she was only punishing herself by not relenting. She stood up and plopped down next to Brittany, causing them both to roll to the middle toward each other.

"Oh wow, it's not very sturdy, is it?" Santana commented, her face not far from Brittany's, then looked down to see their hands on each other's upper arm. She also felt part of her chest pushed firmly into Brittany's chest which caused an immediate heat to pass through her.

Brittany chuckled at the unintended contact, adjusting slightly and reaching for the blanket to cover them. "There. Cozy, huh?"

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**Author's Note**: We're getting closer. Please review if you have thoughts or comments


	3. Singing Unicorns

**Things That Go Bump in the Basement (part 3)**

"This is definitely cozy," Santana admitted with a smile that made her brown eyes brighten.

"We're much more comfy now," Brittany pulled the old blanket all the way up, tucking it under her chin and leaning her head over onto Santana's shoulder.

Santana smiled again, but Brittany didn't see that smile which was probably for the best since the second smile was one of the Latina's more mischievous smiles. She relaxed further into the chair, feeling the little artificial beans spread out to accommodate the form of her body.

The two of them sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes until Santana commented, "Too bad we don't have movies down here."

The best friends loved watching scary movies together on their weekend nights at each other's houses. Once everyone went to bed, they would put on their pajamas and climb into bed to watch movie rentals, cowering down under the bedspread. It never failed that the girls ended up cuddling together like they were now, peeking through their fingers at the scariest parts of the movie.

"We could pretend," the fifteen-year-old blonde suggested light-heartedly.

Santana laughed, sinking further into the chair which made Brittany sink further into the brunette's body.

"Don't laugh," Brittany replied with a nudge of her elbow, "I'm serious."

"Pretend to watch a movie?"

"Why not?" Brittany shrugged as if her idea made total sense…and in Brittany's world, it totally did.

"Ok then…what's the plot of this movie?" the Latina played along for lack of anything better to do while locked in a basement.

"Umm, it's action…with suspense…and some drama, but…," Brittany affirmed with a developing vision inside her head, adding, "…with singing."

"Singing?" Santana laughed harder, leaning further over onto Brittany, working through her confusion, "So a scary action dramatic…_musical_?"

"Yes! Sort of like…The Sound of Music…but with fewer children…and no nanny," the blonde confirmed, specifying, "Oh, and without all those annoying Nazis running around."

"No Nazis," Santana smirked as she shook her head, "So, basically…nothing like The Sound of Music."

"Well, there's still _music_, Santana," Brittany informed her best friend with all seriousness, explaining further, "This movie though has Wizards, because Wizards are way cooler than Nazis."

"You are so right," Santana tried to keep a straight face, "I have always thought Wizards were cooler than Nazis, Britt."

"Oh, and…!" Brittany held up her hand, indicating she had a brilliant addition to their movie plot, "Unicorns."

Santana giggled at her friend, hiding her mouth behind her cupped hand, then composed herself enough to suggest in jest, "Perhaps the Unicorns could sing, Britt."

"That's perfect!" Brittany agreed excitedly, appreciating Santana's participation in her creation, "We could call it…The Sound of Unicorns!"

The brunette snickered again under her breath and bit hard on her lower lip to retain her composure, not wanting Brittany to get her feelings hurt.

"Awesome title, Britt. Ok, so now we need a hero to…what?" Santana searched her own imagination, "Save the singing Unicorns?"

"Why a hero? In our movie, we have girl power," the blonde said confidently.

"Fair enough," Santana smiled, "Who is our heroin then?"

Brittany thought a moment then looked up at Santana, "Who would you cast as the lead girl?"

Santana didn't have to think very long before answering, "I would cast you, Britt."

"Me?" the blonde giggled, "Why?"

"Well, because…you're the most fascinating person I know," the Latina told her, softly including, "…and the most beautiful."

Brittany felt a heat spread across the fair skin of her cheeks, and she gave Santana a sheepish smile, telling her, "Thanks, San. I really appreciate that."

It made Santana feel warm inside to bring such a genuine smile to Brittany's lovely face.

"But then that means…_you_ have to ride with me on our quest…as my protector," Brittany informed her with all the flair of an experienced storyteller, "because the fair maiden must survive to the end…and you are the bravest of all the brave in the land."

"You think so, huh?" Santana was honored that Brittany felt safe by her side.

"Well, you are for sure the most fierce at McKinley," Brittany winked.

Santana beamed, feeling confidently noble, and inquired, "What are we defeating, my fair maiden?"

"A fire-breathing dragon, of course," Brittany responded.

"Of course," Santana smiled at the innocence in Brittany's blue eyes, adding onto the story they were creating together, "So you and I will fight alongside the Wizards to defeat the angry dragon and release the singing Unicorns from their captivity."

"Exactly," Brittany nodded and looked straight ahead as if Santana's description were being acted out on a giant movie screen in front of them.

The brunette tried hard to be more creative, but falling short, she gave up and offered, "…and then the Unicorns can sing their thanks to us during the end credits."

Santana couldn't help but laugh at her own joke, sensing this musical plot had definitely moved into the genre of dark satire.

"Wait, you forgot something important," Brittany interrupted the Latina's laughter.

Santana quieted and shrugged, "What?"

"You forgot the kiss at the end," Brittany stated with extreme sincerity, "The heroine is _always_ kissed before the end credits."

"Ohhh, sorry…my bad," Santana replied, holding up her hand, "How is it supposed to play out then in our movie?"

Brittany pulled her hands out from under the big blanket, reaching out into the space in front of them where she envisioned her large movie screen, "After the herd of Unicorns are freed, they all gather together with us and the Wizards in the open meadow."

"For like a concert or something?" Santana was trying hard to immerse herself into Brittany's colorful world.

"Yeah, exactly…like at the end of The Sound of Music," Brittany confirmed with a huge smile, "See where I'm going with this?"

"Uhh…yeah," Santana smiled and nodded, "Keep going."

"And then…the Unicorn Queen puts a necklace of beautiful flowers from the meadow…around the neck of the fair maiden," the blonde described in great detail, "then the maiden's protector comes up and kisses her while everyone sings and the credits roll. The End."

There was a moment of silence as Santana looked deadpanned at Brittany.

"Britt?" the brunette finally said.

"Yeah?"

"You realize you have two girls kissing at the end of this movie, right?"

"So?" the blonde settled back into her portion of the chair, cuddled close to Santana's firm body, "Two girls can kiss, San."

Santana wasn't sure which of the thoughts racing through her mind should be the one she should pick to respond. The longer she sat there, the more the silence hanging over the best friends became obvious which only made Santana feel more anxious.

"Would _you_ ever kiss a girl?" was the question that broke through and came out of Santana's mouth.

"Sure," Brittany answered quickly, nearly startling Santana by adding, "I'd kiss _you_…and you're a girl."

Santana could feel her face flushing and her lips moving, but no sound seemed to be coming out of her mouth.

Brittany sat up and turned slightly to look directly at the Latina, "Would you kiss me?"

Leaning forward without thinking much more about it, Santana tilted her head and put a sweet but firm peck on Brittany's partially-opened lips, pulling back slowly to reply, "Yes."

* * *

**Author's Note**: Thoughts? Ideas? Comments? Leave me a review.

Thanks again for continuing to read this silliness! Kim


	4. My best friend's tongue

**Things That Go Bump in the Basement (part 4)**

Santana Lopez reclined against the beanbag chair and stared at her best friend, waiting for Brittany to respond.

"You kissed me," the blonde stated the obvious, a hint of surprise in her otherwise mellow voice.

Everything in Santana's mind went into high frequency, images of the past twenty minutes flashing in her brain like a strobe light as she frantically wondered why she did what she did and whether it was a horribly-wrong choice. "I'm…I'm…sorry, Britt," the brunette stammered, searching for the words to take back the kiss while she attempted to get up out of the pliable chair.

"Don't be," Brittany told her with a sureness that was both sweet and spirited, pushing Santana back down in the chair with both of her hands on the Latina's shoulders.

The two locked eyes for a brief second then Brittany quickly leaned forward into Santana and returned the kiss. Brittany's kiss though was much more purposeful and very eager. The weight of Brittany's body pushed Santana back against the fabric of the chair where she kissed the brunette for a solid minute.

Santana broke the kiss to take a steadying breath, the oxygen in her body burning her lungs and her pulse throbbing in her head. Bewildered, she said simply, "Brittany…."

The blonde smiled innocently at her, their mouths mere inches from each other.

Santana had no idea what was happening between the two of them, and she wasn't entirely sure she cared any longer. She snaked her arms around Brittany's waist and up the arch of her back, pulling the blonde down to meet her lips again, kissing her passionately.

As the girls kissed, Brittany noticed how soft and smooth Santana's lips were, and her face wasn't all bristly like when Brittany rubbed against boys. In fact, being this close to Santana felt nothing like the boys at McKinley with whom Brittany had made out.

Kissing Santana was delicate but intensely hot at the same time, Brittany thought, and the longer they held contact, the more contact Brittany wanted. She took a chance and slipped her tongue in between Santana's straight, white teeth, wrapping her tongue around the Latina's, feeling how warm and wet it was.

Santana flinched slightly when she suddenly felt Brittany's tongue fill her mouth. For a nanosecond, Santana snapped out of her haze of hormones to process, _OMG, my best friend's tongue is inside my mouth_.

Being guided by Brittany's spontaneity, Santana ran her tongue along the side then over the top of Brittany's tongue finally sucking hard on it. She smiled internally when that maneuver elicited a subtle moan from the blonde.

Brittany felt a heat move through her entire body when she felt Santana suck on her tongue, so she deepened the kiss more, taking Santana's tongue into her mouth.

Santana opened her eyes, looking directly at Brittany who had her eyes closed and was fixated on the brunette's mouth. As she soaked in Brittany's close presence, Santana realized she felt differently than she normal. She most certainly felt differently than when she kissed any of the boys she'd kissed, mainly because she finally felt something.

Kissing guys seemed more like a chore to Santana, something that was required. Something required for popularity, for sport, for social expectation, but kissing them was not something that ever felt good. Certainly not good like kissing Brittany right now felt good.

Santana realized finally that she felt pleasure while kissing Brittany, a tingly kind of pleasure, and it was currently moving through her entire body.

Brittany felt Santana's hands go up under the heavy wool coat to start rubbing up and down her back. She really wanted a better angle to touch Santana too so she turned her body toward the Latina. As soon as Brittany moved though, her ankle reminded her that it was sprained and swollen by flaring up in immediate pain.

"Owww," Brittany verbalized into Santana's mouth, pulling away and grimacing.

"Your ankle?" Santana asked with concern.

Brittany nodded, adjusting herself back the other direction to straighten her right leg again. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Santana smiled sweetly, pausing a moment to contemplate their options. She was very much enjoying this newest activity in the basement and did not want it to end, but she was worried about how long Brittany should go without medical care, not wanting her to suffer any permanent damage.

Santana tossed the blanket back over Brittany's body then slid out from under it, standing up.

"Where are you going?" Brittany asked, disappointed to end their make out session.

"Hold on," Santana told her as she climbed back up on top of the stacked boxes, holding her phone close to the window again and checking her signal.

"Still no signal?" Brittany anticipated the result.

"No," Santana confirmed, jumping down to the ground and stuffing her phone back in the side pocket of her pants, "It's getting dark now. I'm surprised your parents haven't come looking for us."

"You sound disappointed," Brittany frowned.

Santana hated seeing a sad look on Brittany's face, kneeling beside her and assuring her, "Hey, no…I'm enjoying our time together. It's the best time I've had in a long time."

That statement instantly made the blonde feel better. "Oh good," Brittany said with relief.

"I'm just worried about you," Santana continued, reaching up and gently rubbing Brittany's upper arm, "I hate that you're in pain."

"I'm fine, San…besides," Brittany looked down then back up at Santana's face, "I wasn't feeling any pain a few minutes ago."

Santana smiled widely, the dimples in her round cheeks showing.

"I never knew you were such a good kisser," Brittany teased, running her index finger along Santana's thigh, outlining a segment of the brunette's pleated Cheerios skirt.

"About that…," Santana blushed, pausing.

"What's the matter?" Brittany could sense something deeper was bothering Santana, "Did you not like kissing me?"

"Of course, I did," the brunette replied instantly, taking Brittany's hand in hers, repeating, "Of course, I did…it's just that…."

Santana's response trailed off as she thought about what happened, internally comparing how she felt about Brittany with what other's would say about it if they found out.

"What then?" Brittany prompted, squeezing her best friend's hand.

Taking a deep breath, Santana looked up into Brittany's eyes, asking her, "What do you see happening once we get out of here?"

Confused by the question, Brittany responded, "We go home and get something to eat maybe?"

Santana chuckled. Brittany's innocence never ceased to amuse her. "I meant…what do you see happening between us? Once we go back to school after the holidays?"

Brittany shrugged, "I don't know. I just know that I care about you…I know that won't change. You're my best friend."

Feeling slightly more at ease about Brittany's expectations, Santana pulled the blonde's hand up to her mouth and kissed the top of it, agreeing, "And you're mine. That for sure won't change, Britt."

Brittany leaned forward and kissed Santana on the lips, wanting to share that intensity with her again. Instead, her foot slipped off the top of the suitcase it had been propped on.

"Ouch…damn," she said, lifting it back up, "I'm really sorry."

Santana smirked. "I can fix this issue," she announced, gently lifting Brittany's foot and pushing away the suitcase then folding the excess of fabric at the bottom of the blanket and securing it under Brittany's feet, telling her, "There…that should feel softer."

It meant a lot to her that Santana always looked after her and tried to protect her. The Latina was probably the only reason, aside from Brittany's parents, that she had any confidence at all left inside her.

Santana never let Brittany think she was stupid or weird or odd or strange or any of the other adjectives that their classmates called the blonde. Brittany usually laughed off their insults or pretended she didn't understand them or sometimes that she didn't even hear them, but she heard them…all of them…and they hurt.

It never failed though that Santana came to her defense, telling them to shut up or to leave Brittany alone. Instead of weird, Santana insisted that Brittany was interesting. Instead of strange, Santana assured her she was unique, and instead of stupid, Santana never failed to point out how easy it was for Brittany to remember the hardest dance and cheer routines.

"Thank you," the blonde smiled, her blue eyes sparkling as the light from the exposed, overhead bulb reflected in them.

"You're welcome," Santana smiled dotingly, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Brittany didn't need to think long, requesting, "Kiss me again?"

* * *

**Author's Note**: I love the comments in your reviews! Thanks for entertaining me.

To answer a few of you who seem somewhat confused…yes, Brittany and Santana are fifteen and sophomores at WMHS. I put a date stamp at the beginning. It's the Friday evening before the Thanksgiving holiday week in 2009. Thanksgiving in America is the third Thursday in November for you international readers.

My head canon has the girls as extremely close best friends who are just realizing that their feelings for each other are probably deeper than simple friendship and that those feelings have been suppressed for many years.

I hope you are continuing to enjoy where this is headed. Oh, and anyone wondering why the Pierces haven't checked in on the girls…shrug…Mrs. Pierce must be extremely busy with those pies. ;)

Please leave me a review if you want to encourage me to do another chapter. I love hearing from each of you! Kim


	5. Oh god…Santana!

**Just FYI, I've been updating rather quickly, but the next update may take a bit longer, because my triplets come back from their grandparents' house this weekend…**

* * *

**Things That Go Bump in the Basement (part 5)**

"Kiss you again, huh?" Santana repeated Brittany's request with a seductive smile.

The blonde nodded eagerly, "Please?"

Santana inched her way toward the beanbag chair, staring straight into Brittany's eyes, making Brittany nearly giddy with anticipation.

"My kisses are pretty irresistible, aren't they?" the Latina purred playfully.

"Mmhmm," Brittany smirked, enjoying this sultry side of her best friend.

As Santana crawled up into the beanbag chair, approaching closer and closer to Brittany's face, the blonde closed the distance, kissing the brunette before she could kiss her.

"Very irresistible," Brittany confirmed, kissing her again then again, cupping Santana's face on each side with her hands.

As the two melted into one another, picking up where they'd left off, Santana lifted her right leg over Brittany's legs, straddling her lap and moving her hands up around the blonde's neck.

That move heightened Brittany's desire to a whole new level. She could feel Santana's knees braced firmly against her hips, and because Brittany was reclined slightly in the chair, Santana had to lean down on top of her which meant Brittany could feel the Latina's ample breasts pushed firmly into her chest.

Brittany had her eyes closed, but she was enjoying the sounds they both made. She could feel and hear herself involuntarily moaning, especially as their kisses deepened and became more and more frantic, but she enjoyed hearing the same moans and heavy breathing from Santana too.

All of this growing passion was doing its part to physically warm Brittany up.

"I need to take this off," Brittany announced without moving her mouth from Santana's mouth, reaching to peel off the wool letter jacket.

Mid-kiss, Santana helped push it off her.

"This too," Brittany said in between kisses that were becoming messy and frenzied, unzipping her black hoodie and pulling it off then tossing it to the side.

Without the extra fabric, Brittany felt her internal heat lower back down to a more tolerable temperature.

"Better?" Santana gave the blonde a sly smile, moving her hands all over Brittany's neck and face as they continued to kiss.

"Much," Brittany smiled back, her fingers tangled in Santana's long locks of hair.

The friends continued kissing, their hands roaming more and more, further and further down, until finally Santana slid off of Brittany and sat back in the chair beside her, panting and struggling for air.

"What's wrong?" Brittany sat up and asked the Latina.

It took a second for Santana to gather enough air in her lungs to respond. "Britt…if we keep going…we're going to need a water hose."

Brittany didn't say anything but relaxed back against the chair to catch her breath too.

The girls sat quietly for a minute or two then Brittany stated bluntly, "I want to kiss you again."

"Okay," Santana replied quickly, rolling back on top of Brittany.

The best friends returned immediately to the same intensity…kissing and touching and rubbing.

Something internally though was gnawing at Santana, and she stopped again, abruptly rolling back off of Brittany.

"Britt…we have to stop," the brunette instructed, for her own sake more than for Brittany.

"Why?" Brittany asked, completely confused since Santana's actions did not match up with her words.

"Because, Britt…," Santana shook her head, having a difficulty verbalizing her thoughts.

"Because why?"

"Because…I'm scared, alright?" Santana raised her voice.

Brittany turned toward the Latina, giggling unintentionally, "Scared? You? Why?"

"It's not funny," Santana said seriously and looked away.

"You're right…I'm sorry," Brittany narrowed her brow and leaned closer toward Santana to run the knuckle of her index finger gently across Santana's cheek, "Tell me why you feel scared right now."

Santana crossed her arms over her chest, still looking in the opposite direction.

"Santana…look at me," Brittany pulled the brunette's arm down to uncross them, "Talk to me…please?"

Santana slowly turned her head to look back toward Brittany, and the blonde could see that she had tears in her large, brown eyes.

"You're crying," Brittany acknowledged with increasing concern.

As a tear escaped and rolled down Santana's cheek, Brittany reached up and wiped it away with the pad of her thumb.

"What are you thinking?" Brittany asked tenderly.

Santana shrugged.

"One thought, San…," the blonde pushed, sensitive to her best friend's inability to talk about her feelings, "…give me just one thought."

"I wanted to…," Santana stopped mid-sentence, trying hard to force herself to communicate, for Brittany's sake.

"To…what?"

"To _touch_ you…I want to touch you…," Santana revealed, her gaze cast downward, unsure about what those desires meant, adding, "…to touch your skin."

Brittany smiled. "Well, you're in luck then…because…," Brittany nonchalantly pulled her thermal shirt over her head, throwing it to the side, then she unhooked her pink bra and tossed it to the side, responding, "…I _really_ want you to touch me too."

Santana looked at Brittany with eyes the size of saucers, completely shocked that her best friend just stripped down in front of her like that…not that Santana hadn't seen Brittany's naked body hundreds of times before. Certainly though, this time was under much different circumstances.

No, this time, all Santana could do was stare at Brittany's breasts. They were so perfectly round and firm, and Santana involuntarily licked at her lips in anticipation of touching them.

"Well…?" Brittany prodded, internally chuckling at Santana's reaction, giving herself a small check mark for rendering her best friend speechless. Santana Lopez, the same best friend who always had a calculated comment or a snarky remark available in her arsenal. That best friend was now completely speechless and practically drooling.

Trying to stir Santana from her carnal stupor, Brittany reached across and took one of the brunette's hands, pulling it up and placing it on her chest.

Santana moved her gaze from Brittany's body up to her familiar blue eyes, calmed slightly by the satisfied grin on Brittany's face.

"Come on…touch me," she said sweetly, pulling on Santana's arm to urge her closer.

Santana crawled up and straddled Brittany again, putting both of her hands on the blonde's breasts. The Latina's touch was hesitant at first as she touched the sides of them, running her fingertips over the fleshiest part of Brittany's chest, then she squeezed them softly, feeling how supple they were.

At the same time, Santana leaned down and kissed Brittany again before moving her mouth onto her friend's neck, trailing kisses down to the crook. As she kissed the blonde's neck, she also squeezed at her breasts again which instantly caused Brittany to buck her hips.

Santana sat up and smiled, verifying, "Is that okay?"

"Uhuh," was all Brittany responded, placing her hands on Santana's hips, her long fingers manipulating the roundness of Santana's backside.

Feeling more at ease, Santana moved her trail of kisses downward, lightly kissing across the bone that protruded from Brittany's prominent shoulder then back across it and down the center of her breast bone and around the fullness of her left breast before circling the fullness of her right one.

Santana could hear a subtle change in the blonde's breathing as it grew heavier and deeper. She then went with instinct and licked across the nipple of Brittany's left breast which caused another buck of Brittany's hips.

Santana smiled again. She then became more serious about her oral assault, licking again and again on Brittany's right breast then she returned to the left one and sucked on its nipple, eliciting a much louder moan than any that preceded it.

"Oh wow…," escaped from Brittany's mouth as she swallowed hard and looked up at Santana, "…keep going…please."

Santana kept going, sucking harder until Brittany pulled Santana's head back up to meet her lips again, kissing her more intensely than she ever did previously.

As Brittany kissed the Latina, she unzipped the side of Santana's uniform top and pulled it up. Without much thought, Santana lifted her arms to allow Brittany to pull the red top off and over her head, tossing it to the side. Brittany then pulled the white fabric of the turtleneck to remove it before she tugged up on Santana's white sports bra, removing it as well.

Santana suddenly felt very exposed as Brittany looked at her, but that feeling dissipated as soon as Brittany pulled Santana back down for another deep kiss, replacing it with the very erotic feeling of the girls' bare breasts rubbing against each other.

The combination of skin to skin contact with deep, passionate kisses was overwhelming the teens' senses. They kissed and touched and squeezed and sucked as more and more clothing was removed.

"Uhh…Britt?" Santana interjected.

"Yeah?" Brittany answered breathlessly.

"We're sort of…naked now," Santana pointed out as if she didn't even remember them getting that way.

Brittany giggled, replying, "Yeah, I see that…now what?"

"Hell if I know," Santana confessed bluntly.

It was obvious to both girls that neither could accomplish sex the way their boyfriends did when they were with them, but it was definite, at least now that they were naked and lying on top of each other, that sex was where this was headed.

"Give me your hand," Brittany coaxed the brunette.

Santana put her hand near Brittany's hand as requested.

"No, your other hand," Brittany revised her instruction.

Confused, Santana leaned the other direction to put her left hand near Brittany's hand, asking, "Why?"

"Because you're left-handed, silly," Brittany responded as if it were obvious then she moved Santana's hand between her legs.

"Whoa…what are you doing?" Santana pulled her hand back.

Brittany grabbed at it quickly though, assuring her, "San, relax."

"I am relaxed," Santana said defensively, "I mean…I'm as relaxed as I can be while lying here naked with my hand between my best friend's legs in a cold basement we're locked in because of some damn cat."

"You're not relaxed…you're nervous," Brittany observed.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you ramble when you're nervous," the blonde smiled, lifting her head up to whisper in Santana's ear, "Don't be nervous though…it's just _me_."

Santana couldn't help but smile back at Brittany.

The blonde looked directly in Santana's dark brown eyes, "Do you want to stop?"

"No," she answered with a determined tone, repeating, "No, I don't want to stop…I want to touch you."

Brittany pulled Santana's hand back between her legs, parting them slightly and pushing Santana's fingers between her folds, whispering in her ear again, "Now rub me like you do when you touch yourself."

Santana blushed and started to deny that she masturbated, but she realized they both knew each other totally did. Instead, she focused on how wet it was between Brittany's folds, rubbing her middle finger up and down in the slick warmth.

Brittany pulled Santana down by the neck to kiss her, moaning as the heat in her core grew hotter under her best friend's touch.

"Does that feel good?" Santana asked, hoping she was doing the right thing.

"So very good…just keep doing that," Brittany encouraged, kissing the side of Santana's face, feeling the Latina's warm breath inside her ear.

Santana found Brittany's clit and could actually feel it throbbing so she rubbed at it and around it and across it, and the more she rubbed, the more moans she got in response. She even got a slight squeal of pleasure from Brittany a couple of times.

Santana smiled again, feeling more and more confident. She continued to listen to the subtle cues from Brittany while kissing her and moving her hand up and down and around, mainly focusing on Brittany's clit.

She also found that the more she rubbed, the more Brittany moved her hips, rocking them back and forth with the movements of Santana's hand until the girls found a matching rhythm.

After several minutes, Santana could tell Brittany was getting close to an orgasm, because her breaths became shorter and her moans became higher-pitched then suddenly her hips stopped rocking and her legs went stiff, and she said, "Oh god…Santana!" before burying her face in Santana's shoulder.

The Latina withdrew her wet hand and wrapped her arms around Brittany's torso, pulling the blonde close to her and holding her, kissing her softly on the forehead then on the lips.

Santana didn't know what to say or even if anything needed to be said. She just knew that she felt very emotional at hearing Brittany call out her name in a moment of intense pleasure like that, and Santana simply wanted to hold Brittany close and for this moment to never end.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Whoa…what just happened? Teens and basements. What a naughty combination. ;)

I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. I want to make sure it is clear…that was **NOT** the end of this fic. I will forge ahead and keep pushing this story for as long as you guys are interested and as long as Mrs. Pierce's pies are baking. Please leave me a review to tell me your thoughts. Surely, I gave you lots to comment on, right?

As a side note, how come you guys aren't all following me on tumblr? I want us to be one big happy, Brittana-loving family so be sure to look me up. It is: mamatots tumblr com

I serve liquor* and cupcakes on Thursdays! Come check it out!

*Everybody please drink responsibly


	6. Nice ass, Lopez!

**Thanks for your patience while waiting for this chapter**…

* * *

**Things That Go Bump in the Basement** (part 6)

Santana Lopez lay with her head on Brittany's bare chest, their arms tightly around each other, and she listened to the rhythmic beat of her best friend's heart as it calmed from fast to slow.

Brittany finally stirred, gently caressing the smooth skin of Santana's back as she lay on top of her, confessing, "That felt really good."

The Latina lifted her head and laughed at the sincerity in Brittany's statement, responding, "I'm glad."

"Your turn now," Brittany said cheerfully, moving her hand down to the warmth between Santana's slim legs.

Santana shifted quickly, just out of Brittany's reach, telling her, "Britt, no…you don't have to do that just because…."

"I want to though…," the blonde's assertion interrupted Santana's protest while she tried to entice her physically with soft rubbing on the inside of her thigh.

"Yeah?" Santana asked modestly, looking into Brittany's eyes.

"Of course I do, silly," Brittany smiled, leaning in to kiss the brunette.

Before Brittany could move her hand back in between Santana's legs, there was a shine of headlights in through the window of the basement, illuminating its dimness. The lights were followed quickly by the loud slam of a car door.

Santana startled and lurched up as if she were about to be caught naked in the basement, having sex with another girl, "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah…it sounded like a car in the driveway," Brittany said in a panic.

Santana crawled off the beanbag chair, careful not to knee Brittany in the abdomen as she moved across her to stand up. She grabbed the first piece of clothing her hand touched which happen to be Brittany's white thermal with the words _Cleveland Rocks!_ printed across an electric guitar, pulling it over her head as fast as she could while climbing up on the stacked boxes to look out of the small window.

"Is it my dad?" Brittany asked with a worried tone, pulling the blanket up over her naked body.

"It's some guy in a truck," Santana reported, knowing that nobody in Brittany's family had a pick-up truck, further informing, "It's an old, blue truck."

"It's in my grandmother's driveway?" Brittany clarified.

"Yes," the Latina confirmed, craning her neck to see the rest of the driveway, describing what she saw, "Looks like he's unloading wood. He's stacking it at the edge of the carport."

"Ohhh…that's Russell," Brittany realized, "My family buys firewood from him every winter."

Santana continued to watch the older man as he unloaded a pile of chopped wood from the back of his truck until there was a waist-high stack near the back entrance to the house. She suddenly ducked back down below the visible portion of the window and announced, "Oh shit…there he is."

"Why are you hiding?" Brittany asked Santana, suggesting, "Bang on the window."

"What? NO!"

"I thought you wanted out of here," Brittany sounded confused.

"Umm, Britt…we don't have clothes on," the brunette pointed out, looking down at Brittany, "Why would I call attention to us?"

Brittany looked up at Santana, seeing her bare butt hanging out from under the thermal top, and she started laughing.

"What's funny?" Santana grimaced, still ducking down, contemplating their predicament.

Brittany could only laugh harder, causing her to snort. "Sorry."

"What?" Santana asked again, slight annoyance in her tone.

"Nice ass, Lopez," the blonde smirked, giggling more.

"Oh Ha Ha," the Latina rolled her eyes, now feeling the cool air on the exposed skin of her shapely backside. She pushed back up enough to peek out of the window, seeing the headlights shine again as the truck backed out of the driveway and drove away.

Jumping down to the cold concrete in her bare feet, she retorted, "You think you're sooo funny, don't you?"

"Sometimes," Brittany winked at her best friend, certain she saw a red flush to Santana's brown-toned skin when she added, "I mean…you _do_ have a nice ass."

"Thanks," Santana shook her head as she sat on the corner of the large blanket, saying to Brittany, "Looks like we missed our opportunity with Russell. He's gone already."

"Good," the blonde dismissed, smiling and arching her eyebrows.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because…," Brittany leaned across the chair, guarding against any sudden movements of her sprained foot, and took Santana by the hand, tugging her back over, "…I was just getting started with you."

Santana couldn't help but smile at Brittany's declaration. It wasn't particularly sexy or romantic, but there was something about the anticipation that the blonde's simple statement created, sending an intense heat straight to Santana's groin.

"Oh really?" Santana purred as she slipped back under the heavy blanket and felt Brittany roll over toward her.

Brittany pushed her hand up under the fabric of her shirt Santana was still wearing, running it just under her breast and down the smooth skin of Santana's ribcage then over the curve of her hip and down the outer portion of her thigh.

She pulled the brunette's leg up while leaning into her pelvis, kissing her deeply, assuring her, "Yes, really."

Santana could feel tingling moving from the pit of her stomach downward at the sensation of Brittany pushed firmly into her pelvis, and she admitted to the blonde, "I like this side of you, Britt."

That revelation made Brittany smile widely, because she now realized that she rather enjoyed being the aggressor. She moved her hand from the underside of Santana's thigh to where it was perched directly at the Latina's center, timing her entrance with another deep kiss, pushing her long fingers into Santana's vulva and finding it moist and enlarged.

As Brittany slowly rubbed her, Santana dragged her fingernails up Brittany's exposed sides, the hot air of her heavy breaths blowing hard against the blonde's ear. A low moan escaped deep from Santana's throat, and Brittany looked up at her with a smile.

Brittany enjoyed what she saw. Santana's eyes were closed and her head was tilted back in pleasure, her neck arched up for the taking as she moaned again.

Without lessening her manual stimulation, Brittany lowered her lips on to Santana's neck, sucking hard but careful not to leave a mark that might show once they were out of the basement.

That elicited an even louder moan from Santana, causing her to rise up and devour Brittany's mouth, digging her fingers harder into Brittany's shoulders and wrapping her leg over Brittany's leg to pull her further into her body as she kissed her.

Brittany was feeling as turned on now as she felt when Santana was fingering her. She could even feel the wetness between her own legs building again which triggered something innate, making her want to push inside Santana.

Pausing out of uncertainty, she broke their kiss to say, "San?"

"Huh?" the brunette's fervor was only slightly broken.

"That feels good, right?"

"Very good," Santana confirmed, kissing the side of Brittany's mouth as they spoke.

Brittany paused again, nervous to ask, but her desire urged her forward, "Can I try something?"

Santana was so focused on the intensity between her legs that she didn't give much thought to Brittany's request, agreeing instantly, "Yeah…sure."

With that go-ahead, Brittany pushed her middle finger gently inside Santana for the first time, causing the Latina to react instantly with a loud intake of air.

"Oh fuck, Britt…," Santana said loudly, the unexpected sensation catching her by surprise.

"Is that okay?" Brittany responded directly into Santana's ear, her voice barely above a whisper.

Santana took a couple of quick breaths, the reality of the moment hitting her, then said, "Yeah."

Brittany started sliding her finger in and out as the brunette rotated her hips. Feeling bolder as she observed Santana's growing pleasure, Brittany pushed in her index finger too.

Santana moaned instantly then bit at Brittany's shoulder, savoring the feeling of Brittany's penetration.

"Still doing good?" Brittany asked with a slight smirk, already knowing the answer, as she moved her fingers in and out of Santana.

"Ohhh…oh god…yes…good…very," Santana answered in a sort of breathy, primitive-type speak, "don't…stop…Britt."

Brittany smiled again, her movements becoming a little faster, thrusting her hand harder and deeper, over and over. She felt the walls of Santana's vagina clench tighter and tighter around her fingers as the Latina rotated her hips with the same rhythm.

Santana's breathing became sharper and shallow, and she repeated the one thought she still had in her head, "…oh god…please don't stop."

Brittany continued as instructed, but Santana needed the throbbing in her clit attended to as well so she slid her hand down in between their bodies, quickly finding her own familiar pace.

Santana rubbed faster and faster, catching up quickly with Brittany's pumping…the blonde's hand deep inside her.

Only a few more minutes past before Brittany felt the rocking of Santana's hips halt below her, and Santana's legs went taut. Feeling the muscles around her fingers become even tighter, Brittany stopped her movement to let Santana ride out her orgasm until the brunette went limp with satisfaction.

Brittany enjoyed a moment of watching Santana as she lay there sated, admiring again how breathtakingly-beautiful she truly was, and as sexy as Santana looked in her post-orgasm glow, Brittany observed something particularly sweet about her as she rested with her eyes closed, still wearing Brittany's favorite shirt.

Once Santana stirred, Brittany moved up slightly to kiss her on her lips while pulling her fingers out. There was a soft whimper that escaped from the Latina as she reacting to the void, so Brittany kissed her tenderly again then again.

"Thank you," Santana said genuinely, pressing her cheek against Brittany's forehead.

Brittany snickered, drawing a little heart on the flat part of Santana's abdomen, "I'm starting to hope they never find us down here."

* * *

**Author's Note**: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as the other ones. Are y'all growing tired of this scenario yet? Is it getting too smutty? Be honest. I can wrap it up quickly or I can challenge my creative brain further and see what more in the way of story arch I can come up with for you guys. Leave me a review and let me know!

Also, I know this story took a few extra days to update, but in the interim, I was hard at work on Chapter 13 of _Keep Me Where the Light Is_. If any of you readers are following this story but haven't read my other current fic (or its prequel _Her Smile Heals Me_) then please go check it out. I know those two stories are less fluffy than this one, but a lot of people enjoy those so perhaps you will too. Thanks again for your support! Kim


	7. Santa and Mrs Claus to the rescue!

**Things That Go Bump in the Basement** **(part 7)**

"We couldn't live down here forever, Britt," Santana declared lightheartedly, her breathing heavy as she recovered from her intense orgasm, still feeling residual tingles in her groin as the blood flow returned to normal.

"Sure we could," Brittany said with determination as she relaxed on top of Santana, "Just you and me. That's all we need, right?"

Santana chuckled at the minimalism in Brittany's vision even though it lacked any realistic potential. "We can't live on sex and kisses alone," she reminded her, "We need food and water…and a toilet. At least the basics, Britt."

The blonde frowned, her chin resting on her forearm which was draped casually across Santana's chest. "I suppose you're right," she conceded sadly, tracing the outline of Santana's jawline with the tip of her index finger.

"Hey, don't be sad," Santana reached up and caressed Brittany's cheek against the knuckles of her right hand, "We'll get out of here at some point tonight. Once they get your ankle treated, we can order a giant pepperoni pizza and watch any movie you want to watch, ok?"

The taller girl grimaced and looked down.

Santana adjusted herself on the beanbag chair by moving up so she could look more directly at Brittany, "What's wrong?"

"This is never going to happen again…is it?"

"What do you mean?" Santana narrowed her eyes.

"This. You and me."

"You and me happens all the time, Britt," Santana replied, "We're together every day. Like we said earlier, that won't _ever_ change."

Tears suddenly appeared in Brittany's blue eyes, and she moved quickly to turn her body in order to hide them, grimacing more when she felt fresh pain in her swollen ankle.

"Are you okay?" Santana asked, reading Brittany's face, "You look like you're in a lot of pain." The Latina saw the tears too but chose not to point them out.

Brittany reached down and rubbed the lower part of her right leg. The cold air in the basement had actually helped minimize the swelling she would have otherwise had by this point, but she could still feel the tightness in the skin and underlying tendons around her ankle bone.

She adjusted some more, pushing part of the blanket up under her butt as best she could so she wasn't sitting directly on the cold concrete without clothes.

She wasn't purposefully ignoring Santana's question as she moved around gingerly. She simply did not know how to respond. _Yes, I'm in pain, San_…was her first thought. _No, it's not so much my foot right now, you hardheaded dope_…was her second thought.

"Brittany?" Santana sat up behind her, her legs still parted by Brittany's naked body. She tenderly rubbed the lower part of the blonde's back and leaned further into her, repeating softer, "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," she lied, stretching to the side to pick up her black hoodie and put it on, adding dismissively, "It's really not hurting that much anymore."

"Do you want your shirt back?" the brunette asked, uncertain as to what specifically changed the mood between the now-lovers.

Brittany reached to the other side of the blanket to grab her underwear then extended her arms to put one leg through a hole before lifting her hurt leg carefully to slowly push it through the other hole, finally responding, "Keep it."

Santana sat quietly for a moment. She knew there was something more to Brittany's current demeanor. Typically, Santana wouldn't give a crap about other people's feelings, telling herself that it was their problem and they needed to _get over it_! With Brittany though, she did care. She cared a lot actually, and she never wanted to see gloom on her best friend's beautiful face.

The Latina sighed heavily and reached over for her cotton panties, standing up and pulling them on. She also collected all four socks, turning a couple of them right side out again, then kneeled at Brittany's feet.

"Here…let's put these back on you. I don't want your toes to get cold," Santana said sweetly as she pulled both of Brittany's socks over her long feet, "You could get frostbite and then they'd fall off."

The blonde looked up at Santana with extreme concern on her face, responding, "Really?"

Santana laughed. It was not a judgmental laugh but rather one that was filled with affectionate amusement, and she clarified, "No, Britt…I'm just kidding."

"Oh," Brittany forced a small smile, pulling the blanket over her bare legs and scooting back up against the beanbag chair.

Santana put her own socks on then pulled on her red track pants to ward off the dampness in the basement. She could already feel a chill move through her slender body as she looked around, realizing it was definitely dark outside now.

"It's got to be after seven o'clock by now," she commented, "You'd think our parents don't care a thing about us."

"My mom's busy with getting the house ready for company," Brittany surmised, "She probably doesn't even realize what time it is or that she hasn't seen us in a while."

"True…and when's the last time either of _my_ parents gave a shit where I was," she retorted over her shoulder, walking back up the wobbly staircase to the basement door.

She turned the knob again. It was still locked. "Fucking Christ," she mumbled, rolling her big brown eyes and shaking the doorknob several times out of frustration.

With that, she heard something fall to the wood floor just outside the basement door, making a small ping sound when it hit the ground. _No way_, Santana thought…_was that the key_?

There was hardly room to stand at the top of the stairs so maneuvering around was difficult. Santana kneeled down, placing her face as flat as she could against the rough wood of the platform in order to look under the two-inch gap at the bottom of the basement door.

"What are you doing?" Brittany called up to her, leaning over to see Santana bent down to the ground.

The Latina did not answer at first, her face scrunched to see under the door. Unfortunately, it was dark inside the house, because the girls never turned on any lights before heading down to the basement in the daylight.

She pulled out her phone from the side pocket of her pants and lit the screen, trying to shine enough light under the door to see the hallway. Whether it was the angle or lack of brightness, the light from the phone didn't work as planned. She still could not see a thing.

Santana stood up and dusted off her pants at the knees then wiped her hands off on her narrow hips as she climbed back down the stairs with renewed energy.

"Britt…do you think your grandfather had any flashlights down here?"

"Probably…why?"

Santana passed up her best friend to walk toward the far side of the spacious basement, spotting an old tackle box on the floor underneath two fishing rods that hung in the corner. She opened the tackle box, finding all shapes and sizes of fishing lures but no flashlight.

She stood back up and continued to look around, finding a green kerosene lamp near an old sleeping bag that was rolled up and stuffed under a workbench.

"Do you know how these things work?" Santana stepped closer to Brittany, holding up the lamp with optimism.

"Yeah, sort of…but you need a match," the blonde told her, remembering some of the lessons her dad taught her when they all went camping, advising, "Even if you could find one, that thing is so old, San…it's probably out of fuel."

"Damn," the brunette turned and set the lamp back on the workbench, stooping to dig further underneath it.

"What do you need it for?" Brittany was completely confused at this point.

"YES!" she exclaimed suddenly, finding a long metal-handle flashlight and immediately pushing the switch to turn it on, but no light came on. "Fuck!"

"What?" Brittany asked again.

"The batteries are dead," Santana sounded exasperated, growling slightly.

"What size batteries?"

Santana unscrewed the end of the flashlight and dumped the two old batteries in her hand. Not recognizing the size, she held them up toward the light bulb that hung in the center of the basement ceiling, reading off the side, "C…? Do they even still make those?"

Brittany giggled at her friend's cluelessness about mechanical things. She knew a lot of her little sister's toys required C-batteries, retorting, "Yes, San…they still make them. Just look around…something else might have some that work."

As Santana continued looking for recognizable objects on the far side of the basement, Brittany pulled over one of the cardboard boxes. She opened the top to find Christmas decorations.

Having no luck on her hunt, Santana turned to see Brittany pulling out silver tinsel then red tinsel, discarding a large handful off to the side.

The next thing Brittany pulled out of the brown box was a musical Santa and Mrs. Claus, saying excitedly, "Aww, I love this thing!"

"What is that?" Santana grimaced slightly, seeing only a discolored, sad-looking couple with smooshed white hair and bent gold glasses perched on the ends of their noses.

"It's Mr. and Mrs. Santa! They sing _Silver Bells_ while their hands go up and down and ring these little bells," Brittany explained with child-like enthusiasm, pointing to the tiny silver bell in the hands of both dolls, "My grandmother puts this in the front window every Christmas."

Brittany turned it on and giggled when it started playing loudly, the Clauses moving their heads and arms with animated charm. _Silver Bells, Silver Bells_…_It's Christmastime in the city_…_Ring-a-ling, hear them ring_…_Soon it will be Christmas day_.

"Okay," Santana shook her head and shrugged, "And…?"

"It's festive, Santana…geez," Brittany sometimes wished Santana wasn't so grouchy. She turned it off and flipped the large holiday display over to where the battery pack was located, opening the compartment and pulling out both batteries, confirming, "Here…two C batteries."

"Thank you," Santana responded with more civility, realizing she pissed off Brittany. She pushed in the working batteries and closed the end of the flashlight, successfully turning it on, saying, "Yay, it works!"

Santana practically ran up the steps to the top landing, leaning down and shining the flashlight through the gap under the door. She saw the key instantly and announced down to Brittany, "The key fell to the floor, Britt. I think I can reach it!"

* * *

**Author's Note**: See, I can give you guys more story, since y'all were so awesome to comment on the last chapter! But oh no, the key is right there…will she or won't she reach it? Hmm….

Oh, and thanks so much to those of you who started following me on tumblr. Come talk to me on any topic, and I'll definitely follow you back. :)

Please be sure to tell me your thoughts about this chapter! I really appreciate it when I get feedback. Thanks, Kim


	8. I'm blonde

**Things That Go Bump in the Basement** **(part 8)**

Brittany heard Santana say she thought she could reach under the door for the key, but her internal reaction was disappointment rather than relief.

Santana Lopez had demonstrated more vulnerability stuck tonight in a basement than she had in the eight years since Brittany met her in second grade, and Brittany Pierce was not at all ready for that to end despite the near-constant throb in her injured foot.

"Santana," Brittany called up to the Latina.

"Yeah?"

The brunette's voice was muted as she squeezed herself up against the door, shining the flashlight into the hall's darkness.

"Are you sure it's the key?"

Santana sat up on her knees and hollered down to Brittany, "Ornate black metal thing? Yeah, Britt…it's a key."

Brittany frowned and sighed. _Santana can be such a pain in the ass sometimes_, Brittany thought.

"I can almost get my arm under this door," Santana described as she pushed her slender wrist under the gap and reached out toward where she remembered it was laying, patting the ground to feel around for it.

She felt her finger hit something as she moved across the floor then she heard it slide further away, "Crap!"

"What?" Brittany asked.

Pulling her arm back out, she replied, "I can't reach it. I think I just pushed it further away." She bent down again, shining the flashlight in order to check the key's newest location, telling Brittany, "Well shit…I knocked it further out in the hall."

Before she thought about the consequence of her helpfulness, Brittany suggested, "Why don't you find something to knock it back closer?"

"Brilliant, Britt!" Santana responded as she stood and walked back down the stairs, hearing a creaking sound as her sock-covered foot hit each step along the way.

"Thanks," the blonde said woefully, now realizing what she unintentionally did.

Her gaze followed Santana as she crossed the basement and stood in the far corner, looking around.

"Ah, here we go!" the Latina said triumphantly, taking one of the fishing rods off the wall, adding as she walked back past Brittany still seated on the beanbag chair, "Cross your fingers, Britt Britt! We may break free in a few minutes!"

Brittany reacted with the first distraction that came to her mind, grabbing at her leg and screaming out in pain, "Owwww…Santana!"

Santana dropped the pole quickly near the staircase, turning to attend to Brittany immediately, "What happened?"

"I don't know…my ankle hurts really bad all of a sudden," Brittany fibbed, grimacing dramatically for emphasis.

Kneeling down and lifting Brittany's foot carefully, Santana inspected it, rubbing gently, "It doesn't look any more swollen so that's good. Did you do something to it again?"

Brittany shrugged, a tingly-type warmth moving through her as Santana touched her leg.

"You didn't try to stand again, did you?" Santana asked with a raised eyebrow of suspicion.

"That's it, yeah," Brittany nodded, continuing with her fabrication. She had gotten Santana's attention, but now she didn't know how to say what she so desperately wanted to say. Fresh tears, from emotional not physical pain, appeared in her eyes, and she embellished further, "I was going to try to help you."

Santana studied Brittany's face, her gaze moving across every feature as she caressed the smooth skin of Brittany's long, muscular leg. This was the second moment of tears in Brittany's blue eyes tonight, and it tugged again at Santana's heart. She reached up and ran her fingers across Brittany's cheek and down the side of her mouth, pausing a moment as something unfamiliar traveled through her.

The Latina's expression softened into the sweetest smile Brittany could remember seeing on Santana's face, and she assured Brittany, "I don't want you to hurt anymore, sweetheart."

_Sweetheart_. Brittany took a deep breath, the tingling feeling moving all the way through her now, giving her noticeable goose bumps. It was only for three seconds, at most, but Brittany saw something in Santana's dark eyes alter when she called her that. There was a sudden radiance there, a sort of recognition.

"Sit still, ok? I'm going to get us out of here," Santana instructed, broadening her smile.

Brittany sighed heavily in defeat, the moment between the best friends as fleeting as always. She watched Santana pick up the fishing pole and climb to the top of the stairs.

The brunette pushed up the long sleeves on the white thermal shirt and bent to the ground again, shoving the top end of the fishing rod under the gap of the door while shining the flashlight to guide her efforts. Seeing the key, Santana carefully dragged it toward her until the pole refused to move further.

"Oh hell!"

"Now what?" Brittany inquired.

"Hold on a sec…I got the hook caught on the rug." With that announcement, Santana pushed her bare hand back out into the hallway, reaching for the old, braided rug.

She had nearly released the fish hook when there was a loud screech and a hard pounce, startling Santana, forcing her to withdraw her hand swiftly. "Owww! Jesus!"

Santana pushed up to her knees, shaking her right hand as if that would rid it of the searing pain.

"What happened?" Brittany asked with concern.

Santana shined the flashlight on her hand, seeing four long streaks of bright red on the top of her wrist. "That goddamn beast tried to slice my arm off!" she ranted loudly.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm bleeding!"

"Come down here and let me see," Brittany coaxed her.

Santana shined the light once more under the door, seeing Princess Penelope curled on top of the key, licking victoriously at her paw. The orange tabby paused and looked directly at the light, her eyes flashing brightly as if they were on fire, and Santana was sure she saw a sarcastic grin cross the old feline's mouth.

The brunette stood with an audible huff, "I hate that fucking cat!"

Once she made her way to the bottom of the basement again, she plopped down beside Brittany, holding out her hand.

Brittany snickered as she inspected Santana's injury, secretly grateful that Princess Penelope was able to accomplish with one well-timed swipe of her claws what Brittany could not with her charade of renewed pain.

"She got you good," the blonde acknowledged, dabbing at the blood with the corner of the blanket.

Santana rolled her eyes, plotting the cat's demise through gritted teeth, "I'm going to catch her one of these days and strangle her…and then…then I'm going to have her stuffed and mounted. I will hang her on the wall in my bedroom and throw darts at her mangy, old corpse!"

That declaration made Brittany giggle more, "Well, it's not like this is the first cat fight you've been in."

Santana narrowed her eyes, "What do you mean?"

"At school…?"

"Hmph…with Quinn? She doesn't count," Santana dismissed her constant attempt to one-up her and Brittany's other closest friend.

Quinn Fabray might be captain of the Cheerios squad and the presumed-Head Bitch at McKinley, but Santana was confident that she could topple the blonde beauty queen if she ever truly put her mind to it. It certainly was not that Santana hadn't thought of dethroning Quinn a thousand times over, in a thousand different ways, but usually, Santana was satisfied with her second-in-command status because it allowed her better leverage to look after Brittany.

"Maybe…but what about that Rachel girl in Glee Club? You were ready to kick her ass when she went out with Puck," Brittany pointed out.

"Oh _her_?" Santana snarled, "She's nothing but an insanely-loud Pocket Pet."

Santana relaxed further into the beanbag chair next to Brittany. "Besides, she and Puck were never a…thing," she stated with air-quotes around _thing_ despite the stinging pain in her right hand.

"Sooo…what if they were?" Brittany pushed to see what reaction she would get from Santana," Would that upset you?"

"You don't like him much, do you?"

"Who? Puck?" Brittany shrugged, "He's alright. He's nearly as dumb as me, but he's definitely the best kisser out of the rest of the football team."

Santana grimaced. She never liked when Brittany insulted herself. "You're not dumb, Britt," she reminded her dearest friend, "You're…."

"…special," Brittany tilted her head, completing Santana's thought for her, having heard that affirmation hundreds of times.

Santana smiled, amending her usual assertion, "_Very_ special."

"So why do you date him, San?" Brittany queried, "You always seem bothered by him. Is the sex really that good?"

"He's tolerable, I guess…but," Santana dismissed, adding with a sexy smirk, "He's not as good as that blond guy at that frat party we snuck into last spring."

"You actually liked him?" Brittany sounded surprised, hardly remembering the older boy who snuck off upstairs with a very drunk Santana in tow, leaving her and Quinn and two other Cheerios to defend against intoxicated gropes from the rest of the fraternity while playing beer pong.

Santana gestured, "What can I say? I secretly like blonds."

Brittany smiled inadvertently.

"What?" Santana asked with slight confusion.

Brittany shrugged, grabbing Santana's hand to look at it again.

"Seriously…what?" the Latina nudged at her friend.

Brittany looked up and smiled again, "I'm blonde."

Santana chuckled, but Brittany could tell it was an awkward, _what exactly does that mean?_-type chuckle.

As the best friends sat there quietly, Brittany ran her index finger absentmindedly over the tips of Santana's fingers, tracing the edges of the brunette's short nails. Santana always had them painted, most often red or black to match her Cheerios uniform, but they weren't girly fingers like Brittany saw on Quinn Fabray or Rachel Berry or even those other girls in Glee Club. _Mercedes…and…and…Teri or Tina or whatever that Asian girl with the stutter's name is_, Brittany thought.

Santana's fingers always looked slightly torn up from athletics or household chores with her cuticles tearing and her nails broken in places, and she rarely made it more than a day or two before the nail polish started chipping off.

Brittany looked at her own nails too and saw basically the same thing though she had a bad habit of biting her nails when they broke off or she was nervous or unsure about something, leaving her fingernails even shorter than Santana's.

"What are you thinking about?" Santana asked, breaking the long silence hanging over them.

"I just don't know why you let those boys treat you the way they do," Brittany expressed softly. She could still smell sex on both of their hands.

"How do they treat me, Britt?"

"Like you're an object," Brittany stated bluntly.

Santana pulled her hand away from Brittany's grip and looked off to the side, pondering her statement.

Brittany hesitated, her breath catching in the back of her throat, but then she disclosed, "I would never treat you that way."

* * *

**Author's Note**: Princess Penelope strikes again! The racist furbag. Or perhaps the old cat is merely a Brittana-shipping fangirl in disguise. ;)

So Brittany and Santana are starting to talk about feelings. With Santana's stubborn inability to look inward, this could end badly. Here's a thought to ponder: Is it better to hang on to part of something great or is it worth the risk to fight for the whole thing? Hmm…I'm not sure.

Thank you so much for your continued interest and support of this story. If you want to keep me motivated to write more on this one then please leave me a review with your thoughts and feedback.


	9. Your loss

**Author's Note**: I want to clarify a possible misconception which was mentioned in a review for Chapter 8. This story is **not** in any way intended to be a prequel to _Her Smile Heals Me_.

HSHM had a completely different characterization of Santana and Brittany. Also, I wrote a flashback in Chapter 21 of HSHM of Santana and Brittany's first sexual encounter. It was on July 4th in Brittany's bedroom…not November 20th in a basement. :) I hope that helps clear up my objective behind this story as it continues.

* * *

**Things That Go Bump in the Basement** **(part 9)**

_I would never treat you that way_.

When Santana registered Brittany's statement, her face contorted and she looked down, slightly embarrassed that her best friend knew she was only popular at McKinley because of her physical attributes and slightly ashamed that her best friend knew she not only allowed it but encouraged it.

"I know you wouldn't, Britt. You're a remarkable person," the Latina responded softly, pulling her foot toward her body to adjust her sock, looking back up into Brittany's face and confirming, "Best I've ever known."

Brittany did not say anything more, but she had a look on her face that confused Santana. The longer Santana stared at her best friend, the more Brittany's words resonated with her.

_I would never treat you that way_.

Santana heard the words echo in her head again as she continued to look at the blonde, and she realized Brittany's emphasis was on the word I. _I would never treat you that way_.

Santana swallowed hard, the unwavering loyalty in that sentiment washing over her entire body, then Brittany's other comments started repeating themselves inside Santana's head.

_I secretly like blondes_…

…_I'm blonde_.

That statement seemed benign when she first heard Brittany say it. She'd laughed even. It was just one of those goofy, almost senseless comments Brittany was known to make.

Truth be told, Santana never really gave too much thought to Brittany's remarks, because the Latina was admittedly self-absorbed a lot of the time and Brittany was…well…Brittany.

_I'd kiss you…and you're a girl_.

Self-absorbed or not though, she knew every subtlety of Brittany Pierce…and tonight, Santana Lopez finally realized, Brittany Pierce had been trying to tell her something.

_I'm starting to hope they never find us down here_.

All the blood in Santana's body seemed to rush to her head, the air was suddenly harder to push through her lungs, and she could feel her pulse throbbing in her throat.

She stood straight up with a jolt, rambling as she moved toward the far side of the basement, "I'm getting _really_ hungry…aren't you hungry yet, Britt? I'm very hungry."

Brittany watched Santana stand and move away from her so quickly she thought the brunette was going to trip backwards over the beanbag chair. Even though Santana had her back to her, Brittany could see how jittery her body language was as she wandered aimlessly on the other side of the room.

"Yeah, I'm hungry," Brittany muttered, nearly inaudibly, sniffing and wiping just under her eyes to hold back her tears.

Santana stood near the built-in wooden shelves where Brittany fell earlier, her mind racing with thoughts of what had happened between them and how she could make it all go back to the way it was before they got trapped.

_Trapped_, Santana continued to breathe heavily. Trapped is exactly how she felt right this second.

"What's in these jars?" the brunette inquired, picking a topic out of thin air to fill the gap of conversation in the room. She ran her finger through the dust that was collected on the gold-colored lids of several jars which sat on an upper shelf.

Brittany was distracted by her increasingly-overwhelming feelings, but she swallowed and leaned forward to see what Santana had found, answering, "Oh, that's my grandmother's canning. Jams and relish and pickles and stuff."

"Ok, I'm not _that_ hungry," Santana quipped, scowling.

She continued to look at the various items on the shelves. One jar was marked pear preserves. _Yuck, that doesn't even sound good_, Santana thought. She could not remember ever having a pear. _Are those the green things or the brown things?_

_Those pickles sort of look good_, she relented as her stomach growled, her mind filling with thoughts of a big, juicy hamburger with cheese and pickles and a side of french fries. _Now that sounds delicious_, she nodded to herself. _Maybe with bacon on it_, she added silently with a lick of her lips, amending the thought as soon as it formed…_oh, but Britt doesn't like bacon_.

Santana shook her head, her dark hair falling over her shoulder, and she looked back to see Brittany who was looking down at her fingers. Santana wasn't sure why _her_ thoughts of _her_ dinner involved thoughts of Brittany's preferences…but they did. Truthfully, her thoughts always involved Brittany. She considered Brittany in every thing she did throughout the day.

A shiver passed through the Latina, causing her to take in another deep breath, trying to keep her thoughts as calm as possible since she had no other place to retreat at the moment.

She pulled out her cell phone from the pocket on the side of her track pants. The phone's battery was getting very low, but unexpectedly, it showed she had four new text messages. They were all from her boyfriend, Noah Puckerman.

The texts were not recent, having been sent over the course of the evening, but they all had the same theme:

**5:23 PM**

You available tonight?

**6:17PM**

Come on…booty call?

**7:05PM**

Where are you?

**7:42PM**

Not gonna wait all night, Lopez. I got needs!

The clock on her phone showed it was nearly eight o'clock. She and Brittany had been locked in the basement for three and a half hours at this point. A lot had happened in that time.

Santana breathed out then took in another deep breath, realizing her hands were trembling as she held her cell phone.

She cut her eyes over again to where Brittany sat. The blonde was now slouched back against the beanbag chair and had her eyes closed. She looked sort of peaceful, Santana observed.

The brunette slowly blew out the air from her lungs. It seemed so surreal to her that she and Brittany slept together. _Actual sex_. _Us_. _Me and Britt_, her heart started beating faster again.

_It felt really good though_, Santana acknowledged internally…_but like really really good_.

She could not deny that it most likely felt really good this time because she actually cared as it was happening. She cared a lot for Brittany in fact.

_Ok, there…I admit it_…_I fucking care about her_, she declared internally, biting fearfully at her bottom lip. _Are you happy now_…she silently shouted at no one.

She swallowed to force some moisture back into her dry mouth. Santana felt something so warm and tender…_and safe_, she acknowledged to herself…about lying in Brittany's arms tonight.

The cell phone in her hand suddenly buzzed with a new text message, startling her from her private thoughts. It was from Puck.

**8:01PM**

Last chance, Lopez. You know you want some Puckasaurus tonight! :)

Santana suddenly felt sick to her stomach, thinking about lying naked under him as he got himself off. Her mind flashed to him driving her back to Brittany's house as he had dozens of times before, barely stopping his truck as she jumped out and ran inside, only wanting to see Brittany and cleanse her thoughts again.

She choked on the taste of bile in the back of her throat while she typed out the message:

Fuck off, Puckerman

Her phone buzzed right back.

**8:02PM**

Your loss

Santana sighed with a sense of relief she'd seldom before experienced then pushed the button to turn off her cell phone, wanting to save the last bit of battery, shoving it back down in her pants pocket.

She stepped back over to where Brittany was, hesitantly but with a sort of giddy excitement coursing through her.

She pulled off her track pants and her now dirty socks and curled up under the blanket with Brittany who opened her eyes slowly, unintentionally batting her eyelids, not realizing she had dozed off to sleep for several minutes.

"Hi," Santana smiled widely.

"Hi," Brittany responded back to her with a suspicious grimace and a tilt of her head, "What's up?"

Santana did not verbally respond but leaned forward and pulled Brittany into a deep kiss. When the Latina pulled back and smiled again, Brittany was clearly taken aback but did not say anything.

Santana reached for the zipper on Brittany's black hoodie, deliberately lowering it until the thin jacket was unzipped and the blonde's breasts were exposed.

Brittany looked down at her bare chest then up at the sensual smirk on her best friend's face, a sudden feeling of butterflies flitting around in the pit of her stomach, surmising, "Are we going to have sex again?"

Santana shook her head slowly as she leaned further into Brittany's body, whispering into Brittany's ear, "No."

"Oh," escaped from Brittany's mouth before she could stop it, her disappointment showing.

Santana smiled again and kissed the blonde behind the ear then trailed several of her kisses along Brittany's long neck, stopping right at the curve below her chin, practically purring, "No, Britt…this time…I'm going to make love to you."

* * *

**Author's Note**: I know this chapter was mainly Santana's internal transformation, but I hope it gave you guys more insight into where she is coming from on everything.

I'm editing this AN to add this after it was raised in a review: the cell phone has not had service in the basement until just this moment. I am only basing the unreliable workings of cell phones on my own. I work in the middle of my building, not near a window, and I will go most of the day without service then randomly it'll buzz and say I have texts or emails. Shrug.

Please leave me a review with your feedback or thoughts, because I really truly love hearing from each of you as I'm writing the next section. Thanks, Kim


	10. It's a long story

**Author's Note**: Chapter 9 got so many reviews that I'm slightly overwhelmed. This silly attempt at proving other characters are necessary for a well-rounded fanfic story has sort of come back to bite me in the arse, because you guys seem to really love this story. LOL

From all those reviews, I learned three things about my readers:

~ All of you guys are hopeless romantics, at least when it comes to Brittana;

~ Most of you guys are wanky little sex devils;

and

~ Some of you fancy yourselves as cell phone experts. ;)

* * *

**Things That Go Bump in the Basement** **(part 10)**

When Brittany registered Santana's words _I'm going to make love to you_, she was confused then she was confused as to why she felt confused. This was Santana, right? Santana Lopez? Brittany stared at the Latina's face. The girl across from her certainly looked like Santana, but surely, while Brittany was asleep for those few minutes, shape-shifting werewolves had not forced their way through the air shaft and slithered down inside the basement, overtaking her best friend's body.

She could feel the warmth of Santana's fingertips slide around her bare abdomen and up the small of her back, pulling Brittany's body toward her. The blonde continued to stare at the brunette. _She definitely looks…and smells…like Santana_, Brittany reassured herself before realizing her confusion was causing an awkward silence to stretch out the time between Santana's sweet words and their implementation.

"What's wrong?" Santana finally said, reading the unusual expression on Brittany's face and lowering her torso back into the softness of the beanbag chair.

Brittany swallowed before speaking which only made the awkwardness more obvious.

"You know what, maybe we shouldn't," Santana reacted hastily, sitting back up. _What was I thinking_? _Good job, Lopez_, she chastised herself internally.

"No…wait!" Brittany put her hand around Santana's slender arm before the Latina could move further away, "I'm sorry…I…I…."

"It's okay, Britt…I was just playing around," Santana cut her off in a defensive effort of self-preservation, reaching for her pants as she tried to slow her breathing, realizing her heart was pounding inside her chest for a different reason than five minutes ago and feeling a flush move up her neck and spread across her face.

Brittany shook her head, experiencing even more confusion now. "But I thought…we…," she trailed off.

Santana sat up on her knees as she pulled her phone from the pocket of her red pants, her hands shaking with a mixture of excessive anxiety and extreme disappointment. She paused to take a quivering breath of air then turned around to face Brittany, asking with her usual amount of detachment and curtness, "So guess what I discovered?"

Brittany sighed, knowing she had ruined the moment. It was a moment that was so unexpected but fragile nonetheless. She even witnessed the exact second when Santana's dark eyes veiled back over. Yes, looking at her now was a different Santana than a few minutes before; Brittany could see that now.

This was definitely the real Santana Lopez…the Santana Lopez who buried her feelings so deeply inside her that even she could not identify them most of the time. She had unmasked for one brief, delicate moment, and Brittany had unintentionally ruined it and would probably never get it back.

"What?" the blonde responded, her voice barely above a whisper.

Turning her phone back on, Santana held it to where Brittany could see the screen as it lit up. "My phone is working again," Santana said with convincing excitement, "What do you say we get the hell out of here?"

Almost as soon as she made the announcement, Santana's fingers went to pushing buttons on her phone.

"Wait!" Brittany reacted with much more urgency and determination this time, putting her hand solidly on Santana's phone.

Santana stopped dialing out of sheer alarm, asking, "Why?"

"I'm not ready yet," Brittany said before she thought twice about the words now coming more freely.

"Ready?" Santana laughed slightly, reminding her friend, "We've been trying to find a way out of here for hours."

"No…_you've_ been trying to find a way out of here," Brittany clarified, unsure from where her sudden burst of openness was coming.

"You don't want out?" Santana was now the one with a look of utter confusion.

"Well, yes…_eventually_…but…," Brittany stumbled over her explanation, finally deciding to reveal all by pulling her cell phone from the back pocket of her jeans, still in a clump beside the chair, holding it up with an almost apologetic grimace, "I have a confession."

"Okay…," Santana said suspiciously.

Brittany flipped open her phone, causing the light to come on the cracked screen. She held it up and smiled uneasily.

"It works?" Santana asked Brittany, surprise in her voice.

"Um, yeah…surprise!" Brittany tried to force the amusement of the disclosure.

Santana had almost an accusatory tone when she replied, "You said it was broken."

"Technically, I _assumed _it was broken…and so did you."

"Well, it has a big crack in it…what is it, some Nokia 90s-hybrid that would survive the apocalypse?" Santana asked with an edge of aggravation, "When did you realize it worked?"

Brittany bit at her lower lip, feeling hesitant to reveal more. Santana's attitude could go either way, and though Brittany had never personally experienced the venom the Latina could spew, she certainly had witnessed Santana's full wrath being unleashed on others.

"Brittany?" Santana prodded.

"About an hour after we were down here…maybe less?"

"What?" Santana reacted harshly, "Why would you let us stay trapped, Britt?"

Brittany shrugged. It all made perfect sense in her head at the time, but granted, things that made sense to Brittany rarely made sense to anyone else. It was still daylight then, and she was enjoying looking at her grandparents' photo albums, pictures she had not seen in years, and thinking of her grandfather, and missing him.

Ok, and if she were honest, she simply wanted Santana to learn to relax a little. It was true, her foot had been throbbing at the time, but she was comfortable enough so that when her pocket suddenly buzzed and she saw a text from her mom, asking if they found the pan, she thought for a nanosecond then replied yes, adding that they were just hanging out there for a while and would be home later.

It seemed harmless enough at the moment, and of course, she planned to tell Santana…but then…well, later became even later once there was kissing which was so very unexpected then, yeah well, the whole sex thing happened. _I totally did not see that coming_, Brittany internally rationalized.

Brittany took a deep breath, recognizing that Santana was glaring at her and waiting for an answer that made sense, but she had none so she made a quick decision to try the truth however hard it was for the two of them.

"I wanted to spend time with you," she confessed softly, the words harder to push out than she anticipated at the start of the sentence.

"But…your foot," Santana's tone softened too though she added with controlled exasperation, "I've been worried about you this whole time, Britt."

"I know. I'm sorry," Brittany apologized, because that was never her intention, "It feels okay…really." She reached out and touched Santana's skin, running the tips of her fingers gently over the back of the brunette's hand, telling her, "Thank you for taking care of me."

Santana nodded, looking down at Brittany's hand as it draped across her own, then she looked up and smiled. "I'm glad."

"We can call my parents now," Brittany relented, starting to pull her hand back.

"No," Santana responded quickly, grasping immediately for Brittany's hand before she could retract it, "No, let's wait a minute."

Brittany looked down at Santana's hand which was holding so tightly around Brittany's that the blonde thought Santana might squeeze it off. "Okay."

Neither said anything for a minute, perhaps two.

"What are we doing, Brittany?" Santana finally asked.

Brittany could hear a crack in Santana's voice. The vulnerable Santana was back for a moment, and Brittany could not let this opportunity pass. _Not this time_, she silently encouraged herself. "I don't know what's going on…but I really like it," she confessed timidly, "I was hoping maybe if we spent more time together…alone time…then you'd like it too?"

Santana sat all the way to the floor, crossing her legs, still holding Brittany's hand in hers. She rubbed the pad of her thumb over Brittany's knuckles. She inspected it. Brittany's fingers were so long and thin. Those fingers had been inside her. Another flush engulfed her, and she looked up at her best friend, admitting, "I do like it, Britt…a lot actually."

"I can tell you're nervous, San," Brittany tried to soothe the brunette, "I'm nervous too."

Santana nodded and swallowed. If she was going to say anything then this would be when she should say it. _Tell her, Santana_, she internally pushed herself. "Britt…," she started, "I…um…I think that…I um…."

Before she could say the rest of her sentence, the phone in Brittany's hand buzzed. It was not a text this time, but a phone call.

After the second buzz, Brittany grimaced and said, "My mom."

"Answer it," Santana relented.

"Hi, Mom," Brittany said flatly. There was a small pause then she responded, "Yeah, I guess."

Brittany covered the speaker on the phone and mouthed toward Santana, "She asked if we're coming home soon."

Santana sighed heavily, regret filling her inside, and she responded, "Tell her yes."

Brittany knew it was for the best. Her foot was still quite sore, she was hungry, and she really needed to pee. "Mom…we need some help though," Brittany frowned, "We got locked in the basement."

There was another pause.

"Yeah, I know, but the cat…and well, Santana…it's a long story," Brittany stopped mid-attempt, "Can you just send Dad to get us? Please?"

After another pause during which Brittany rolled her eyes and exhaled loudly, the blonde finally shook her head and said simply, "Ok, Mom…thanks."

Santana watched Brittany click her phone back into place then reached around to the side of the chair to pick up her jeans. Part of Santana wanted to lean over and kiss Brittany so hard she'd see stars and never forget their time together no matter how many of those brainless boys Brittany kissed in the future, and another part of her wanted to toss Brittany over her shoulder and run off as fast as she could to some deserted island where the two of them could continue living together without anyone else's opinion to taint their feelings for each other, even though she knew both options were impractical and some what juvenile.

The Latina finally caved and prompted, "Well?"

Brittany gave her best friend a half-hearted smile, replying, "She said give him twenty minutes."

* * *

**Author's Note**: Something you guys learned about _me_ after this chapter? I'm a tease. Cue evil laughter. Just kidding.

I'm not sure you should fret yet though, because any of you who have learned about me and my writing style through my stories or my tumblr blog should know I'm also a hopeless romantic, especially when it comes to Brittana.

**Edit**: Okay, let me be more clear. This is not the last chapter, and this is not how I envision ending this story. There's still 20 mins left before Britt's dad gets there, right? There will be at least one more, but...

I'm contemplating how this should all end. I may decide to see what might happen after the basement. I think I do owe you guys at least one more sexy moment, right? ;)

Please leave me your thoughts if you want to encourage me…even you guys without an account profile. As always, I have my anon opened.


	11. I owe you big time!

**Things That Go Bump in the Basement** **(part 11)**

_I'm just a little girl, lost in the moment_

_I'm so scared, but I don't show it_

_I can't figure it out, it's bringing me down_

_I know I've got to let it go and just enjoy the show…_

_The sun is hot in the sky just like a giant spotlight_

_The people follow the signs and synchronize in time_

_It's a joke, nobody knows they've got a ticket to the show…_

_Yeah, I'm just a little bit caught in the middle_

_Life is a maze, and love is a riddle_

_I don't know where to go, can't do it alone_

_I've tried, and I don't know why…_

_I'm just a little girl lost in the moment_

_I'm so scared, but I don't show it_

_I can't figure it out, it's bringing me down_

_I know I've got to let it go and just enjoy the show_

_Just enjoy the show…._

(The Show ~ Lenka)

"I guess we should clean up then, huh?" Santana suggested. Her demeanor was completely melancholy now.

Brittany flung back the heavy blanket and looked down at her mostly-naked body, reminding Santana, "Uh…and get dressed too."

The brunette giggled despite her gloom, seeing that Brittany had on only underwear in addition to her hoodie which was still unzipped. She surveyed the area around them where clothing items were strewn about, picking up her uniform skirt and bloomers then handing Brittany's bra to her.

"Right…," Santana agreed, "…that too."

Brittany removed the black hoodie so she could hook her bra back into place. She searched the floor for her shirt before it occurred to her that Santana was still wearing it. "That's my shirt," she said with a half-smile.

Santana finished fastening her skirt then twisted it so the closure would be on the side. She locked eyes with Brittany, who was watching her every movement, then pulled the white thermal shirt over her head, revealing her generous breasts. Between the cold air and the uneasy vibe between the best friends, Santana felt overly-exposed and folded her arm across them as she handed the shirt to Brittany.

"I've seen them up close now, San…you don't have to hide them," Brittany quipped, unwilling to give in to the increasing weirdness of their last few minutes together.

Santana slowly slid her arm down to her lap, conceding, "True."

"I've squeezed and licked them too," Brittany added with a teasing wink, trying to draw a smile from Santana.

That made Santana chuckle, and she agreed with a tilt of her head, "Yes…yes you have."

The Latina pulled her long, dark brown hair up into her usual high ponytail, the way she had it went the teens entered the basement, tying it off with the black tie she'd been wearing around her wrist.

She continued to watch Brittany as she turned the thermal right-side out and put it on. Her eyes darted down for a quick glance at Brittany's lower half, her gaze settling on the blonde's crotch as she moved her legs about. She couldn't help but think the same thing about what was under the thin cotton of Brittany's panties. _I've touched her…there_. She took a deep breath, diverting her eyes for a moment while her fingers fidgeted with the sock in her hand, then looked back between Brittany's legs. _I want to touch her again…so much_.

Acting on desire alone, Santana tossed the grime-covered sock to the side and leaned her body firmly into Brittany's, physically pressing the blonde back against the beanbag chair, kissing her determinedly on the lips.

Though caught off-guard, Brittany returned the kiss, dropping her jeans beside her and running her hands along the taut skin of Santana's sides then around her smooth back.

The girls kissed for what seemed like minutes but was, in reality, only a few seconds. In that short time though, Santana pushed her hand down the bare skin of Brittany's thigh, rounding over its hard muscle before snaking under the fabric that covered Brittany's folds, slipping her middle finger inside quickly.

That move definitely caught Brittany off-guard, certainly more than the kiss. It felt good, it really did, but it did not feel right…not with how wonderful the first time was and not with her dad arriving in like fifteen minutes.

Risking everything, she broke their kiss and put her hand on Santana's wrist, "Santana…stop for a second…please."

Santana paused, opening her eyes to look into Brittany's and reflexively pulling her hand out from between Brittany's legs, but Brittany held onto her wrist tightly, refusing to allow her to flee back into herself.

"San, I want to…_very_ much," Brittany's voice was pleading with Santana to not retreat, "but not like this…not rushed, ok?"

Santana's limbs relaxed back into Brittany as she surrendered, responding, "Okay."

Brittany wrapped her arms around Santana, holding her close to her chest, as tightly as she could as if she could somehow make the reality of the basement melt away and the two of them could exist in some alternate universe together, forever.

Brittany let out a long breath, feeling Santana's head rise and fall with her chest and enjoying the intimacy of their comfortable silence, before finally saying, "Make me a promise…."

There was only more silence at first, but then Brittany heard a soft double sniff followed by Santana affirming, "…anything for you, Britt."

Brittany smiled and kissed Santana on the forehead before saying, "That you won't act like this didn't happen."

Santana lifted her head, her chin on Brittany's breastbone. Brittany could see tears in Santana's brown eyes and that her veil had lifted again.

"Promise me…," Brittany prompted softly.

"It happened, Britt," Santana assured her, pushing herself up to kiss Brittany's lips, adding timidly, "and…I might just die inside if it never happens again."

Brittany hugged her even tighter, kissing her solidly, feeling Santana's heart pounding while feeling her own heart expanding with so many emotions that she thought it might actually explode.

Before she realized she even said it, she verbalized, "I love you, Santana."

It was a thought she'd had in her head so often, way before this night in the basement. Yet, it sounded odd to hear the words aloud, even if they had come from her own mouth.

"I just do," Brittany shrugged as though her previous assertion needed explanation, but she had none to offer.

One of the tears pooled in Santana's eye broke free and rolled down her cheek, and her throat closed off as she opened her mouth to speak, causing her voice to crack. "I love you too, Brittany," she managed to say, returning the sentiment, laying her face against the side of Brittany's and adding with a small laugh, "I just do."

Brittany snickered, asking, "Can we talk more about _us_ later?"

Santana nodded, realizing there was more that needed to be said but that they needed to kick it into overdrive to be presentable when that basement door opened in about ten minutes. "Of course."

Brittany smiled as Santana crawled off of her, putting on the rest of her clothes while Brittany gently pulled on her jeans.

"Here, let me help you," Santana said, bending down again to put Brittany's shoes on her, noting, "I'll just leave this one untied since your foot is still swollen."

"Thanks," she told the Latina, running her hand over Santana's hand as she laced up and tied the other one. Brittany smiled again when, instead of pulling away, Santana folded her fingers around Brittany's and squeezed.

The last thing Santana did was put on her own sneakers then stand up, inspecting the basement floor for any missed clothing. Seeing none, she moved the cardboard boxes from underneath the window, stacking them in the corner again with the others.

Brittany pulled herself up to her knees and looked over into the box labeled Old Photo Albums. Sitting on top was the album with her grandparents' pictures. She opened the cover and turned a page then another until she saw the picture of her grandfather in his Navy uniform again. He was still smiling just as big in it as she remembered from earlier. He had always told her…_Things happen for a reason, Beetle Bug!_

She looked over her shoulder at Santana who was straightening various items she'd moved during the evening, and her heart flittered with great anticipation. She looked back at her grandfather's face. _I miss you, Grandpa…but you were so right, _she privately acknowledged, smiling back at him.

Closing the album and the lid to the box, she pushed it back to the corner then scooted back around, still mindful of her sore ankle.

"Can you hand me that tinsel?" Brittany asked, reaching out for it.

"You know, I'll be back the day after Thanksgiving," Santana reminded Brittany, walking toward her with a long strand of the red tinsel and stopping near enough to wrap it ceremoniously around Brittany's neck, adding with a giant smile, "If you're feeling better by then, we should come decorate your grandmother's living room for Christmas."

Brittany lifted up the ends of her tinsel boa with a giggle, "Really?"

"Sure, why not?" Santana offered, wrapping a strand of silver tinsel around her own neck and posing dramatically, "I know this Christmas will be hard without your grandfather being here. We could decorate the tree for her…even put that dumbass Santa and Mrs. Claus in the window like you like so much. Maybe it'll cheer her up."

Brittany smiled. _This_ was the Santana Lopez Brittany had the joy of knowing. Yes, she was self-absorbed and could be a pain in the ass a lot of the time and, yes, she was moody and insensitive occasionally, but when Brittany looked at Santana, she didn't see any of that. Brittany only saw how effortlessly Santana looked after her, protected her, encouraged her, and Brittany now knew Santana loved her and she loved Santana.

Santana Lopez was still Brittany's best friend, but she was more than that now. Brittany wasn't quite sure what the _more_ was, but she was willing to be patient with Santana and with herself as they both figured that part out.

"Ok, everything looks good and back in its place," Santana announced, picking up the heavy blanket and spreading it back over the cardboard boxes, fanning away flying dust particles.

"I want to take this home with me," Brittany said, pointing to the turquoise beanbag chair.

"You sure?" Santana's face contorted as she took a second look at the old chair.

"Yep…it's got a special meaning for me now," the blonde grinned broadly, "I'll put it in the corner of my bedroom…you know, just in case it comes in handy in the future."

Santana smirked, kneeling back next to Brittany, slipping her arms around Brittany's waist and pulling her close enough to whisper in her ear, "Are you going to save everything we have sex on?"

Brittany wasn't sure of Santana's meaning, grimacing in confusion as her head titled into the warmth of Santana's breath against her ear, inquiring further, "Why?"

"Because…after a while, Britt…," Santana purred, kissing Brittany's jawline then the crook of her neck, hinting to her, "…that's going to be _a lot_ of stuff to keep in your room."

Brittany was hoping that's what Santana meant, and she smiled wider as she turned her head to kiss the Latina passionately.

The girls were so in the moment that they almost missed the rattle of the basement doorknob and the opening of the door, pulling apart quickly as they heard Mr. Pierce yell loudly about the "damn cat" and it nearly causing him to fall down the stairs.

They laughed and winked at each other as Santana stood, pulling hard on Brittany's upper arm, "Can you stand now?"

"Yeah, I think so," Brittany answered, feeling a burning in her injured ankle but nothing like right after she fell.

"Here, lean on me," Santana coaxed, wrapping a firm arm around Brittany's waist and planting her leg in order to lift the larger girl to a standing position.

As the pair took a step toward the staircase, something furry suddenly intertwined between their legs, purring and rubbing itself affectionately on the lower part of Santana's pant leg.

Santana shook her leg and demanded, "Go on, you old furbag."

"San, I think she's trying to make peace with you," Brittany snickered, playfully slapping at the brunette's abdomen, hearing her father call to them from the top of the stairs.

"We're here, Dad," she answered him as she limped forward with Santana's assistance, explaining further, "I need help up the steps, because I hurt my foot."

Santana gave Brittany a small squeeze and an undetected caress down her backside as she passed off Brittany to her father.

"Oh! Santana, would you grab the roasting pan?" Brittany thankfully remembered.

"Yeah," Santana responded.

She stepped back over and picked up the heavy, metal pan. _Mission accomplished after all_, she thought with an internal chuckle.

As Santana started back over to the rickety staircase, she paused and turned back around, kneeling and holding out her hand to the old cat who sat in the middle of the basement, licking majestically at her paw.

"Hey you…cat!" Santana called to her calmly to get her attention, setting the pan gently on the floor.

Princess Penelope came running over, slowly rubbing the length of her body against Santana's outstretched arm, pausing briefly to push her head into Santana's cupped hand.

"Ok, so maybe you're more misunderstood than you are evil. I can relate," Santana told the rust-colored tabby, scowling as she remembered the fresh scratch marks on her other hand, "Though…I still hate you."

Princess Penelope purred as though she accepted the truce but agreed with Santana's caveat.

Santana turned her neck to see Brittany safely reach the top step. The Latina braced herself with her right hand on the floor as a powerful sensation of complete devotion passed through her. She took a deep breath and smiled to herself, patting the cat again as it purred at her feet.

"Yeah, you're still an old furbag…," Santana told her then leaned down to kiss it on its head, whispering in her ear, "…but, I owe you big time!"

* * *

**Author's Note**: As always, thank you for your encouragement and support. You guys are the reason this story was written and has continued this far so give yourselves a pat on the back.

Let me know what you thought of this chapter and where you see it going from here.

I promised you that love making, and I never break a promise to my readers! Stay tuned, because depending on what I can realistically come up with to sustain this story while maintaining the original premise of it only having the interaction of Brittany and Santana, there will either be a Chapter 12 or an Epilogue.


	12. Epilogue: May She Rest In Peace

**Things That Go Bump in the Basement** **(final)**

Santana Lopez turned up the volume on a small radio which sat on a nearby shelf, humming along cheerfully as she wrapped a cast-iron skillet in some bubble wrap then set it at the bottom of a large cardboard box. She did the same with a large boiling pot and two ornate candlestick holders.

"Santana?" a familiar voice called from the top of the stairs.

"Down here!" she answered loudly, wanting her voice to travel from the back corner of the cavernous basement.

The old wood of the staircase squeaked as footsteps travelled down it.

"Hey, what do you want to do with these old jars of preserves?" Santana asked, her nose crinkling as she picked one up and read the label, identifying its contents as Tomato Chutney.

"Throw them out, I guess," Brittany told her, "My grandmother sure loved canning. Too bad nobody ever ate them."

Santana turned another jar to read its label as Candied Figs, quipping, "Can't say that I blame them."

The brunette bent over to set several of the jars into an extra box, standing back up and rubbing her dusty hands on the sides of her baggy jeans.

"I can take this box out to the big trash bin when I leave," Santana said.

"No, I don't want you carrying these heavy boxes, San," Brittany responded, "I told you I would come back tomorrow and finish down here in the basement."

Santana shrugged, "I know…but I feel bad leaving you to clean it out by yourself."

"Don't feel bad, you've done a lot today. You need to rest…besides my sister will be here all day tomorrow. I plan on putting her to work right after breakfast."

"Are you sure you won't need me?" Santana pouted slightly.

Brittany nudged the brunette's shoulder playfully, "I always need you, but you've got work on Monday. I don't want you to drive back too late at night."

Santana looked around the massive basement, seeing plenty of stuff that needed to be boxed up or donated or tossed. "Your grandparents were pack rats."

"They were just…sentimental," Brittany redefined with a smile.

"Uh ok…sentimental pack rats then," Santana winked, setting two more Mason jars of jam in the box on the floor then, "You guys should have started thinning this stuff out years ago."

"True, but we got a lot accomplished this weekend. All we have left is the kitchen which Mom is upstairs cleaning, and my aunt is going through my grandmother's closet. We'll be done in plenty of time for the estate sale," Brittany sounded determined.

"'Estate sale' sounds so final," Santana frowned, watching the blonde's face, "Are you sad at all?"

Brittany bit her lower lip, "Seeing this house empty is a little sad, but it's been months since my grandmother died. It was time to sell it."

"Do you miss them much?"

"Sometimes…mostly, I miss being young and innocent and running around this place without a care in the world," Brittany specified, absentmindedly twisting the simple band of white gold on her left ring finger as she looked around the basement, "It's like my childhood is boxed up down here."

"I like being down here," Santana volunteered, smiling widely at the taller girl.

Brittany returned the smile, noticing that, even without makeup, twenty-six-year old Santana Lopez was still breathtakingly beautiful. Giggling, Brittany asked, "Since when?"

The Latina set down the roll of bubble wrap in order to snake her arms around Brittany's waist, pulling her close to her body, responding, "Oh…since about the time a gorgeous blonde seduced me down here."

"Seduced you?" Brittany laughed louder, "I was cold and in pain…how did I seduce you?"

"Oh now don't play innocent with me, Brittany Susan Pierce!" Santana purred, slapping at Brittany's backside for emphasis, "You got me to fall in love with you down here, didn't you?"

"Hey, you kissed me first!" Brittany reminded, a smirk crossing her lips. She privately acknowledged that kissing Santana was something she had wanted to do for quite some time before the night the two of them got trapped in the basement.

"True…but you had me bewildered with that absurd movie idea of yours," Santana retorted, "It was just so adorable…and insane…that I _had_to kiss you after that."

Brittany leaned in and kissed Santana tenderly, assuring her, "And you're still my brave protector eleven years later."

The start of a new song began on the radio, and Santana started swaying the two of them gently to the slow music, "As long as I have a breath in my body, I will always protect you, sweetheart."

A smile spread across Brittany's entire face as a hint of pink accentuated her freckled cheeks, "You can still make me blush too after all these years."

"I love you, Britt," Santana said sweetly, continuing to sway to the rhythm of the music, "I always will."

"I love you too, my honey," Brittany returned the sentiment, lowering her head onto Santana's strong shoulder as they danced slowly, enjoying a moment of quiet intimacy.

"We should do this more often," Santana verbalized as the song ended and another one began.

"Clean out houses?" Brittany sounded confused. It had been a long Friday and Saturday back in Lima, Ohio while her family disposed of her grandparents' belongings, and though she always enjoyed a trip back to her hometown, she could think of much more satisfying experiences than this.

Santana shook her head and chuckled at how literal Brittany could be at times. "No, babe…dance together. We used to dance like this all the time," Santana clarified, "When we were younger."

"We dance…sometimes," Brittany bit at her lip again, "right?"

"Hmm…I guess," Santana agreed, trying to search her recent memory, "I've just been missing you lately. Is it wrong of me to want private time with my wife?"

Brittany lifted her head and kissed Santana again, "I admit that this past year has been sort of hectic."

"Hectic doesn't begin to describe our life lately. Especially with your schedule…between your school and classes at your dance studio," Santana pushed lightheartedly though she was admittedly a little jealous when Brittany's students got to spend more time with her than she did.

"It's hard being a new teacher, especially with second-graders," Brittany grimaced, "I just feel so overwhelmed sometimes…with lesson plans and grading…."

"You're a fantastic teacher…and you're so wonderful with little kids," Santana validated, squeezing Brittany closer to her, "I just miss _this_."

Brittany kissed Santana passionately, moving her hands up around her wife's neck, confirming, "This?"

"Yes, this," Santana smiled into another kiss, opening her mouth to allow for Brittany's tongue to push in and wrap around her own.

The two of them held each other tightly, no longer moving to the song playing in the background, as they continued to share a long, exploring kiss.

"I really have missed you, Britt," Santana told her wife, breaking to refill her lungs with much needed air.

Brittany tilted her head, kissing a trail along Santana's jaw then up her exposed neck until she could whisper in her left ear, "I know, honey. I promise you that I will make some adjustments when I get home next week…I want us to have more time as a family."

"Promise?" Santana confirmed, nuzzling her face in the crook of Brittany's neck and collar bone.

Brittany used her index finger to raise Santana's chin so she could see her face, assuring her, "I promise."

The blonde moved a raven lock of hair that had fallen from the loose bun on top of Santana's head, looking deeply in her chocolate-colored eyes. The last time the two of them stood in this basement together had been over eleven years earlier.

She occasionally thought about the night they were accidentally locked down here. Her memories went to that night usually on really cold, rainy days when her ankle still ached slightly. The girls had entered the basement as best friends and exited the basement as lovers.

Brittany was so proud of Santana for slowly accepting that their love for each other was strong enough to withstand any comments their classmates might make. It certainly wasn't an overnight transition, but eventually, the two of them went from stolen touches and knowing side-glances to walking hand-in-hand down the hallways of their high school.

By the time they finally made an official announcement at the start of their junior year, the other members of Glee Club shrugged and told them that was old news. Eleven years later, it still made Brittany laugh to think she and Santana believed they were hiding their relationship from everyone around them for those ten months.

She sighed, lamenting internally, _the angst of being a teenager is one thing I don't miss about my youth_.

She was just glad it all worked out for the best so the two of them could enjoy being girlfriends for the last half of their high school experience. Next to their wedding day four years ago, attending junior and senior prom on Santana's arm was the blonde's happiest public events.

As Brittany continued the reconnection with her wife, brushing her lips purposefully across the brown skin of Santana's neck, she could hear soft moans escape the Latina's throat, the muscle vibrating under Brittany's kisses.

The more Brittany kissed her, the more Santana tightened her hold on Brittany's shapely backside, her hands pushed down in the back pockets of Brittany's jeans, squeezing her butt cheeks and pulling Brittany further into her body.

Brittany's hands naturally wandered up and under Santana's fitted t-shirt, rubbing the smooth skin of her back. Brittany's stance unintentionally moved Santana back a step, causing the couple to bump into the dryer.

"Oops," Brittany said with a laugh, never taking her mouth off her wife's, when she heard the thump of the hollow metal, "Sorry."

"S'okay," Santana replied, deepening their kiss and moving her arms up and embracing Brittany in a more frenzied arousal, "Is it naughty of me that I want you so much right now."

"Here?" Brittany clarified, sounding as breathless as Santana.

"Right here," Santana confirmed, bringing her fingers around to unbutton and unzip Brittany's jeans before pushing her hands down under the fabric to grab at the bare skin of Brittany's backside. She squeezed at her again, inching her wife even closer in order to get her message across, repeating in her usual raspy voice, "Right now."

"My mom's upstairs though," Brittany reminded the horny Latina.

"Good…then everything up there is under control," Santana surmised.

"Well…it is sort of a tradition…huh?" Brittany paused to listen for anything out of the ordinary.

"It's nearly our anniversary, and this may be our last chance to do this," Santana speculated, her fingers kneading the muscular tissue of Brittany's butt as she spoke, "The new owners probably wouldn't be amused to find us down here."

"True…," Brittany relented with a chuckle, the heat between them rising quickly. She unbutton Santana's jeans then put her hands on her waist to pick her up, setting her up on the top of the dryer with a slight thud.

The noise caused them both to laugh.

"God, this is like those awful pornos Puckerman made us watch any time his mom was at temple," the brunette quipped, helping Brittany as she pulled the t-shirt over Santana's head.

Brittany smirked as she unhooked her wife's lacy, blue bra, "Hey, do you want to do this or not?"

"Hell yes," Santana said adamantly, leaning down the slight distance to kiss Brittany before lifting the blonde's white shirt off of her and tossing it to the side.

"Then no more mention of Puck," Brittany requested, "Or boys in general…because gross."

"None of them compare to you, babe," Santana assured Brittany, giving her a sexy wink.

"Damn right they don't," Brittany agreed, devouring Santana's mouth with a deep kiss.

Santana's legs hung over the side of the dryer, parted by Brittany's body, as they kissed feverishly. Their hands moved up and down each other's exposed skin, easily remembering each other's familiar curves.

Unable to restrain her passion any further, Brittany tugged hard on the waistband of Santana's jeans, yanking them over her wife's narrow hips.

"That was hot…," Santana commented, lifting one butt cheek then the other to allow Brittany to pull the denim with her underwear the rest of the way down. She kicked off the excess fabric that pooled around her ankles to make room for Brittany to lean closer into her now naked body, letting her slip-on sandals drop to the ground with her pants.

"You liked that, huh?" Brittany chuckled before running her hand between Santana's thighs, asking in a low sexy voice, "What about this?"

"Very," Santana responded with a reflexive gasp when she felt Brittany's long fingers stroke the length of her vulva, bracing herself with her hands on Brittany's shoulders and adding, once she caught her breath, "Oh wow."

Brittany parted the brunette's knees wider with her elbow while she used her other arm to pull on Santana's hips, moving her closer to the edge to create a better angle. While she slowly stroked her wife, causing more and more wetness between her legs, the blonde cupped and sucked on one of Santana's large breasts, eliciting an even louder moan.

"Shhh," Brittany warned with a giggle, looking back over her shoulder to make sure they had no unexpected audience. She suddenly thought back to all the times she and Santana had sex in places which were less than appropriate, places around their houses or in the girls' locker room at school. Probably none were more inappropriate than the backseat of the school bus on their way back to Lima after the Glee Club won the National Show Choir competition their senior year.

Brittany felt a heat in her face when conjuring up that memory. She was thankful for darkness inside the bus and the cover of thick fabric from their varsity letter jackets. Suddenly giddy, she smiled sheepishly and confessed, "I feel like a teenager again."

"That's great, babe," Santana dismissed and leaned back to put her hands behind her on the flat part of the dryer, arching her chest further into Brittany's mouth, pleading with her, "Will you _please_fuck me already."

That made Brittany giggle harder, knowing it had been way too many weeks since she and Santana had sex last, telling her, "Patience, my horny devil."

She continued to massage Santana up and down and back up again, expertly stroking at her vulva, always returning to the Latina's clit which pulsated under Brittany's focused touch. Brittany made sure to pass by the hardened knot each time, circling it, flicking it then rubbing the top of it before repeating that pattern again and again and again, having perfected that particular skill over the years. She knew the pattern in just the way that drove Santana wild with desire.

When Santana leaned forward into Brittany again, digging her fingernails into the skin on Brittany's shoulders, Brittany pushed her fingers up and inside her wife, instantly hearing a sharp gasp before feeling Santana bite down on her collarbone and moan deeply.

Brittany gave Santana a second to acclimate to the sensation before moving in and out with long, meticulous strokes while still continuing a determined rub with her thumb on Santana's clit.

"Is that better?" Brittany asked, already knowing the answer.

"Uh huh…much," Santana confirmed between groans, her voice catching in the back of her throat, wrapping her legs around Brittany's hips and locking her ankles tightly at the small of Brittany's back.

Brittany kept up her stimulation until Santana's core clinched tightly around her hand and her body quivered hard in Brittany's embrace, hearing a muffled "oh goddddd" and "ohhhh Brittttt" as Santana tried to censor her orgasm as best she could, articulating her gratification into Brittany's shoulder.

Not wanting to end their moment, Brittany slid Santana off the edge of the dryer and lowered herself to her knees on the ground, bringing her wife's body with her and down into her lap, leaning the Latina back against the cold metal of the appliance to continue pleasuring her.

The unanticipated transition only deepened the depth of Brittany's fingers inside Santana. "Ohh shit," Santana gasped, air caught in her lungs. After a moment to mentally and physically adjust, she relaxed back into Brittany's hold.

"You okay?" Brittany checked.

Santana nodded, her pulse still racing and her breathing still heavy, "You're not kidding around, are you?"

"Nope," Brittany smirked, "You wanted me to fuck you, didn't you?"

Santana nodded again, kissing Brittany passionately and pushing her backwards until she was flat on the ground before pushing herself into an upright position and rotating her center up and down on Brittany's hand that was still deep inside her.

The Latina moaned and breathed heavily, bracing herself with her hands planted firmly on Brittany's chest, working the soft mounds of flesh with her fingers, tweaking Brittany's nipples and making them harden under her touch.

Brittany was now moaning too, her hips reflexively bucking a few times, but she didn't move her arm much, allowing Santana to maneuver any way she wanted so she could hit that perfect spot inside her, the Latina giving herself the greatest amount of pleasure.

Brittany felt heat rising between her own legs, but she was mostly enjoying watching her wife move over her, a focused look of ecstasy on Santana's face.

Within a few minutes, the rocking motion of Santana's hips became slower and harder until she let out a loud, guttural groan, finally collapsing against Brittany's torso underneath her, her body shaking powerfully.

Brittany held her wife close to her chest and kissed her tenderly on her forehead until her breathing and heart rate slowed some. Once Santana was sated, Brittany pulled her hand from between the brunette's legs. Normally, Brittany would have rolled Santana over so she could kiss her, but she had the presence of mind to remember that they were lying on a cold, dirty basement floor.

"Feel good?" Brittany playfully asked, lightly trailing her fingertips along Santana's spine.

Santana stirred, lifting her head to look at the blonde, answering, "Sooo good."

"This basement is the best thing that ever happened to us," Brittany offered sweetly.

Kissing her wife's lips, Santana agreed, "I guess that mangy cat deserves some of the credit."

"Thank you, Princess Penelope…may she rest in peace," Brittany looked up toward the sky to say.

"Where are you looking?" Santana grimaced.

"Cat heaven," Brittany said as if that answer were obvious.

"Why heaven?" Santana laughed, "She probably returned to her rightful place in hell."

Brittany dismissed Santana's amusement as a cover, remembering her wife cried the day the old feline died, the two of them loyal friends at the end of her life.

"I love you, honey," Brittany assured the brunette, hugging her and kissing her again.

Santana kissed Brittany's throat and down the center of her bare chest then licked across the blonde's very erect nipple, saying in a sexy but sincere voice, "…and I love you, my beautiful girl."

There was a loud voice at the top of the stairs that interrupted Santana's efforts, calling Brittany's name then her name.

"Just a second!" Brittany called out loudly in response, adding, "We'll be right there!"

Both girls laughed uncontrollably as they moved lightening fast to collect their clothing and to make themselves presentable.

"Where's my other shoe?" Santana wondered aloud as she zipped her jeans.

Brittany pulled her shirt over her head and tightened her blonde ponytail, searching the floor. "Right here," she told Santana as she reached between the washing machine and dryer to retrieve the brown leather slip-on shoe.

Santana put on her shoes and grabbed Brittany by the hand before the taller girl could walk away, drawing her close enough to kiss her tenderly, telling her sweetly, "Thank you."

Brittany chuckled, returning the kiss, clarifying, "Pretty damn good for a quickie, huh?"

The brunette smiled, squeezing Brittany's hand in hers, "I meant, thank you for being you…and for being in my life."

Brittany kissed her wife again, a warmth passing through her entire body, "Always."

The girls heard their names called again so they climbed the wooden staircase and stepped out into the hallway, telling Brittany's mom that they were ready then making a quick stop by the half-bathroom to wash up before ending up in a nearly-empty living room.

As soon as the couple came around the corner, their gaze went to a tiny brunette who was sitting up in a bubblegum pink pack-n-play. As the girls moved toward the infant, she pulled herself up to smile at them enthusiastically.

"Hey there, gorgeous!" Brittany exclaimed with delight, "You woke up from your nap."

The baby giggled, a clear stream of drool making its way down her chin. As she smiled, the dimples in her cheeks showed just like the dimples in Santana's cheeks always did.

Brittany loved seeing the same endearing features on her daughter's face as she always adored about Santana, especially those dimples and her big brown eyes.

When Santana reached out for the baby, the little girl smiled and reached up, acknowledging excitedly, "Mama."

The Latina picked up the nine-month-old and turned toward Brittany, pointing, "Can you say 'Mommy'?"

The baby smiled again, looking at Santana, giggling in a happy baby-type way.

Santana said again, "Mom-my."

The baby smiled widely at Brittany and said, "Ma-mi." It came out a hybrid version of Mama and Mommy but was definitely different than the first "Mama", making both of her moms ecstatically pleased.

"She said 'Mommy'!" Santana beamed.

"She sure did!" Brittany agreed, taking the infant from Santana and holding her up high above her head to make her laugh. As Brittany lowered her daughter to kiss her chubby cheek, a string of drool dropped into her eye. "Oh Ella…," Brittany cackled, wiping the moisture from her bright blue eye, "You got me good, girl!"

"She's perfecting her aim too," Santana teased, having been victim to Ella's drool bombs many times.

"Are you ready for some dinner?" Brittany asked her daughter, looking back at her wife and adding with a wink, "I think Mama and Mommy need some nourishment too now."

"Yes! Mama is starved," Santana slipped her arm around Brittany's waist, squeezing both of her girls tightly, giving a sheepish grin to her wife and assuring her, "And once you're in bed tonight, little one…Mama owes Mommy big time."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Brittany winked at Santana, saying to Ella as she started walking toward the kitchen which was located at the back of the old house, "Let's go see what Grandma made for us."

Santana Lopez watched Brittany walk ahead of her, holding their infant daughter, talking to her cheerfully. The Latina paused a moment and looked around the old house, realizing it would be the last time she ever stood in it. It had been a huge part of Brittany's childhood, but because Brittany was Santana's whole world for as long as she could remember, the house was, by default, a huge part of her past too.

Santana took a deep breath, her insides still tingling from their earlier activities down in the basement. Her life was different than she ever envisioned it would be at twenty-six, but she was blessed with a loving, devoted wife and a beautiful baby girl. Yes, fate had an interesting way of working itself out…but sometimes, the brunette admitted internally, _you just have to let go and enjoy the show_.

Santana Lopez smiled widely as a feeling of perfect peace washed over her.

The End

* * *

**Author's Note**: This story has been such a fun project with you guys being so interactive. I might try something else like this in the near future. Perhaps we could have Brittany and Santana marooned on a deserted island or something…or maybe we'll have them barricaded away from those flesh-eating zombies. ;) Anyway, I adore each of you for embracing the concept of this story wholeheartedly!

I know some of you guys will be disappointed it didn't continue with them in Brittany's bedroom that night and that it didn't explore some of the girls' coming out journey, but honestly, I evaluated that and felt those topics were for a different story. I wanted to keep this fic upbeat and mostly fluffy-Brittana. I hope I gave you that much-desired happy ending. At least, I did come through on that promise of sexy times. See, I never go back on my word to my readers.

Please leave me a review and let me know what your final thoughts are and tell me if you would like to see another story in the future that is based on Brittana-only interactions. Thanks again for your support! Kim


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